Love Live! Our Fates Intertwined
by Subject Incubus
Summary: When Ren Hayashi first meets Nozomi Tojo, he never considered how greatly she would change his life. With matching tarot readings, Ren and Nozomi are bound together by the threads of fate. However Ren's heart is not so easy to reach. With his heart locked away by painful memories and broken promises, Nozomi faces her greatest challenge yet. (Takes place during Season 2)
1. Chapter 1

Chapter I

It was a warm summer day in the city of Tokyo, as Ren Hayashi rose from his bed. He looked at the time: Six o'clock. While most high school students would sleep in on the weekend, Ren preferred to be consistent. He woke up at six on school days, and he woke up at six on the weekends. Ren was a third year student at UTX high school, where the male enrollment had plummeted from fifty-two percent to a meager eight percent. This was mainly blamed on the heavy advertising of the school's pop idol group, A-Rise. Of course, it also didn't help that the last brochure they sent out didn't include a single picture of a male student, leading many to believe that UTX was an all-girls school, regardless of the fact that it was a massive skyscraper that had more than enough room for both genders. Ren was fairly tall at a height of 5 feet 10 inches, and he had a thin, but muscular build as the result of about ten years of judo. His eyesight wasn't the best though, but his rimless glasses were modern and fashionable over his deep green eyes. His skin had a light tan since he rode his bike to and from school every day, unable to sit in the shade of a car's passenger seat. Ren stepped into the shower and washed himself up, paying extra attention to his dark, long, crimson hair. He soon finished showering and got dressed. After combing his hair and putting on his glasses, he walked into the kitchen. Ren lived alone in an apartment, but he wasn't a slob. Every room was well organized and spotless, especially the kitchen. While he was a good student and good at judo, his true talent was in cooking. Ren always started the day with a healthy, European-style breakfast, which usually consisted of an English muffin topped with a slice of ham, a poached egg, and his very own variation of hollandaise sauce.

After finishing his breakfast, Ren quickly cleaned what was left and grabbed his work uniform. Since he lived on his own, Ren needed a job, and he needed one that would pay him well. Well, Ren was fairly handsome, and this landed him a job at a butler café in the Akiba district. It was a successful restaurant with a rather unimaginative name, _Butlers of Akiba_, but the boss was a businessman, not a poet. Ren loved working in the kitchen, but today he was waiting tables. While most young men would relish in the idea of being surrounded by a clientele of young girls that fawned over them, Ren hated it. It also didn't help that his name was spelled out as meaning "romance." He hated pretending to be nice for all the young ladies that fawned over him, seeing them as shallow and selfish, but he needed the money, so he quickly turned his hate into a tsundere act that the customers quickly grew to adore. Of course, not everyone at work was bad. He particularly got along well with two of his coworkers (who were also classmates). The first was his best friend, Haru Yamamoto, who was handsome, friendly, popular, and sincere. He had blonde, slicked back hair, and light brown eyes. Haru and Ren originally met through judo lessons, developing a friendly rivalry over the years. While Haru was no chef, he was the most popular waiter in the butler café, with Ren following behind in second place. The second friend was Ren's cooking rival, Yamato Shiina. While Ren was uncontested in gourmet cooking (at least for a high school student), he could never bake or make desserts like Yamato. Yamato was a smaller individual, with light brown hair and blue eyes, and while he was a third year in high school, he had a bit of a complex that made him look quite a bit younger than he really was.

After eight grueling hours of serving meals and being fawned over by annoying girls, Ren changed back into his everyday clothes and prepared to walk out the back when Haru stopped him. "Ren, I've been wondering. Why do you hate girls so much, or people in general?" he said. Ren sighed, "Have you forgotten what happened to me during our first year of high school, Haru?"

"No, I haven't forgotten, but that was just one girl."

"Oh really, and do you think the girls in there, gawking at us, are any more sincere."

"You need to get a girlfriend, Ren."

"I tried back then, and she abandoned me. I don't need anyone besides myself."

Haru shook his head as Ren got onto his bike and rode home. Ren had been abandoned by his closest friend during his first year of high school, and he never forgave her for it. _You need to move on_, Haru thought.

* * *

Ren got back to his apartment complex and parked his bike on the rack in front of the building. He began walking up the stairs to his apartment as an apple rolled down the steps. Then a banana fell. Then an entire sack of groceries fell. As the produce rolled down the steps, Ren lost his footing and tumbled down, hitting his head on the sidewalk at the bottom of the steps. "I'm so sorry!" came an obviously feminine voice. Ren looked up to see who it was, ready to give a proper scolding, but his heart skipped a beat when he saw her. It was a young girl, about the same age as him, with long purple hair tied into two long tails in the back, and bright turquoise eyes that glimmered like gemstones. "I-I'm fine" was all Ren could say. She looked at him, puzzled. "Are you sure? You look like you hit your head pretty hard."

"It's fine, though I doubt I could say the same for your groceries. What's your name?"

"Nozomi Tojo. Yours?"

"Ren… Ren Hayashi. Were you planning on making supper with those?"

"Yes, but I'll have to make something else it seems. I do have some cup ramen for emergencies."

Ren looked up at her. _Cup ramen?! That's not even a proper snack!_ "Let me cook something for you" he said. Nozomi froze. "I-I'll be fine. Like I said, I've got cup ramen"

"Throw that stuff in the garbage, Tojo-san. You shouldn't even consider eating it. Listen, let's pick up all these groceries and then I'll make us some dinner, okay?" Nozomi sighed. "Alright, I'll accept your offer Hayashi-san. I just don't want to feel indebted to you." Ren's heart leaped again. _She's so… sincere…_

After cleaning up the mess of groceries Ren and Nozomi walked up to his apartment. "Doesn't this seem a bit, well, forward, Hayashi-san?" Ren raised his eyebrow at her. "Don't get any ideas like that. I'm just making dinner. No more, no less. By the way, I take it you live in this complex?" Nozomi nodded. "I live right next door to you on the right." Ren's heart leaped yet again. How hadn't he noticed her before?! He took a deep breath and led her to a table for two in the middle of the kitchen. "Take a seat. I'll do the cooking, and if you're wondering why I have two chairs, it's because my little sister has to stay with me sometimes." As Ren cooked a dish of chicken cordon bleu, he began to wonder when his ten-year-old sister would be coming next. Ren didn't always live alone. In fact, he used to live on an estate with his parents who were both CEOs. However, with his mother and father constantly overseas to visit foreign clientele, Ren was forced to raise his little sister, Hana, all by himself. During his first year of high school, however, Ren had had enough and got himself kicked out of his family home, and his father had no intention of letting him come back. Ren sighed. He would make his own future, but he still worried about Hana.

Meanwhile, Nozomi had noticed a deck of cards in Ren's living room. _These are tarot cards, aren't they? _The cards were very much like her own except that the backs were green instead of blue. She ran her fingers along the top of the deck, as if to contact some kind of spiritual beings. _These cards bear a great deal of power like mine. _Nozomi stopped, her expression growing somber. _They also seem to have witnessed pain, as well, though._

Ren served two plates of chicken cordon bleu as he looked back at Nozomi. "My sister got those for me last year. I read them every now and then as a hobby. Anyway, dinner is served." Nozomi walked back over to the kitchen table and sat down with Ren. "Thank you for the food, Hayashi-san." Ren smiled. "It's no problem. Eat up." Nozomi took her first bite. _This is… amazing! How can someone my age cook like this?!_ She looked back at him, noticing his thin, athletic build, his lightly tanned skin, and his dark red hair. "Is something wrong Tojo-san?" Nozomi began to blush lightly as she looked him in the eyes for the first time. They were deep green like jades. "N-nothing! I'm just impressed by your cooking, that's all." Ren smiled slightly and went back to eating. He was used to complements on his cooking, though this was the first one that he had received face to face. Usually customers just left a note and a tip. "Thank you."

* * *

After finishing their meal, Ren cleaned up and prepared a pot of tea. Nozomi looked at his cards. "Would you like a reading, Hayashi-san?" Ren looked back at her. "Why not." Ren sat down and passed his cards over to her. Nozomi pushed it back and pulled out her own deck. "Let's read each other's fortunes, shall we?" Ren sighed. "Fine. We'll each do a three card reading for the past, present, and future. Sound fair?" Nozomi nodded, and the two began to shuffle the decks, unaware that they were asking the same question: "What will my fate be with the person before me?"

Ren flipped the first card over: The Fool, who represents youth, naivety, and the beginning of one's journey through life. Nozomi flipped over her first card, receiving the same result. Ren let out a small laugh. Whatever, it was just chance. "Well I guess we're both young and stupid." Nozomi laughed, and flipped over her next card: The Lovers, who represent the beginning of well… love. Ren flipped over his card, with the exact same result. Ren raised an eyebrow at Nozomi who was looking at him intently. "This is a coincidence, right?" Ren looked back at her. "If we get the same card for our future reading, this will be one heck of coincidence, but I guess it's possible." He flipped his card over and his heart began to thump rapidly: The Ten of Cups, which represented resolution and, when paired with The Lovers, marriage. Nozomi flipped over her third card, once again receiving the same result. Nozomi and Ren were both blushing, though Ren's expression had darkened into a menacing glare. _I'm not going to let anyone get close to me… _He looked at the clock. It was only six, but he wanted to be alone. This… coincidence was too much. "I don't mean to sound rude, but I forgot that I have some studying to do before I go into class tomorrow, so I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to leave." Nozomi nodded, unable to look him in the eye. "Yeah… Same here. Thanks for dinner!" Nozomi grabbed her cards and rushed out the door, her heart about ready to burst. _Why would the cards say such a thing? I don't know how to feel about this, and that glare… He clearly wasn't __happy with the reading… _Ren looked at the cards laid out in front of him. _No… I don't need more pain in my life… _Ren's heart was like an iron lockbox, and he was ready to toss out the key…


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter II

After the events of the previous night came to a close, Ren decided to go to bed early at nine o'clock. _Our readings were an exact match, but I don't care what fate has planned. It's done nothing but screw me over in the past. I doubt that will change anytime soon._ Ren pondered what had happened as he dozed off to sleep. _I'm not going to let myself get attached. She needs to earn my trust first. She could have stacked the decks, right? Honestly, what kind of girl just carries around a deck of tarot cards?_

Ren awoke bright and early the next day. He showered and put on his UTX boys uniform. The white suit and red tie looked good on him… and he hated it. _I already have enough stalkers without having to wear this_, he thought. After cooking and eating a fresh southwestern omelet seasoned with crushed red pepper, Ren cleaned his table, rushed out the door, and rode his bike to school. Ren made it school and scanned his student id on his cell phone without incident, but once he was inside, the true hell began. UTX was ninety-two percent female and eight percent male, so almost every guy was in a relationship… except for three: Ren Hayashi, Haru Yamamoto, and Yamato Shiina. Shiina-kun was seen by most of the girls as looking too young, but Ren and Haru were free game, and they were also the two best-looking guys in the school. Haru always let the girls down easy, with a smile and a pat on the head, but Ren was brutal, giving a glare and emanating an aura that would cause most of his classmates to run in fear.

Ren walked to his class and looked at the updated seating chart. He glared at the instructor. "You should know by now that Tsubasa-san and I do not get along." The teacher retorted at Ren with a deadpan expression across his face. "Deal with it and move on, Hayashi-san." Ren slowly sat down in his seat, as Kira Tsubasa, the school idol herself sat down next to him.

"Good morning, Ren-kun."

"You don't have the right to call me that anymore, Tsubasa-san."

"Sorry."

"There's no use apologizing_._"

"If I hadn't told everyone to forget what they saw, you'd be hated by the entire school."

"The incident two years ago? That was the least of my worries…"

"I lost the Love Live because of you!"

"You lost because you couldn't keep your emotions in check."

"This is why the third-years hate you, Ren!"

"And yet the juniors won't stop stalking me. Why don't you tell them what I did?"

"Because I still care about you."

"Just shut up. You care about being an idol far more than you care about me."

At that moment, Ren and Tsubasa had the attention of the entire class. Haru walked between their desks and slammed his hands down of both of them. "Can you two please discuss this somewhere else?" He looked back at the rest of the class. "And will the rest of you try to forget that any of this happened, please?" The rest of the class nodded and turned away as Haru took his seat behind Tsubasa. "Honestly, can you two at least pretend to get along?" Tsubasa turned around, "I would if Hayashi-san could." Ren bit his lip. "I can be neutral, but I can't be friendly." Haru sighed. "Neutral works…"

The first half of the day passed without incident, and the students sat down for lunch. Haru, Ren, and Yamato sat together in the far corner of the cafeteria, while the members of A-Rise had their own personal nook. Yamato looked in the direction of their place of honor with envy. "I know they're famous, but why do they have to get special concessions?" Haru looked at him. "They've literally become the school's symbol, that's why." Ren sighed. "Unless they get beat in their competition, it'll remain that way, I'm afraid." Haru smiled and passed Ren his phone. "Take a look at this, then. They almost got beat last semester, until these girls had to drop out of the rankings because one of their members got sick." Ren looked at the image on Haru's phone: Nine girls, clearly school idols, all posing together. Ren didn't care who they were. To him, all school idols were the same: popular, pretty, and shallow. At least that's what he thought, until he noticed the purple-haired girl on the far left of the photo. _Is that the girl I just met yesterday?_

"Haru, do you know any of their names, by chance?"

"I know them all."

"You're attracted to them, aren't you?"

"N-no! I just like their music… and their costumes…"

"You sir, are a pig."

"Actually, I'm just a normal guy."

"Whatever. Then what's this girl's name?"

"Nozomi Tojo-san."

Ren scoffed. _Her sincerity was probably just an act. _ "She's my next-door neighbor…" At that moment Haru grinned with both excitement and teenage perversion. "Can I stay over at your place, tonight? We could invite her over." Ren glared at Haru as Yamato scooted away in fear. "Would you like me to flip you over, Yamamoto-san?" Haru kept grinning. "Okay, fine, but why are you so interested in the first place? Let me guess. You finally found someone you liked." In a matter of seconds Ren flipped Haru over and prepared to pick him up off the ground for another maneuver when one of Tsubasa's cohorts Erena Toudou, a rather tall and mature looking girl, turned the tables on Ren and flipped him over. "Do you really want to do this in front of everyone, Hayashi-san?" Ren sneered at her.

"We were just practicing our awareness of our surroundings. It seems that we were both caught off-guard, though."

"Save it for practice after school. I'll enjoy taking you down a notch, Hayashi-san."

"You seem rather confident, but unlike your performances, our judo matches are not choreographed."

Erena scowled at Ren and walked away. _He might have looks, but that's about it. I don't know why Kira-chan wants to be friends with him again._ When she wasn't practicing or performing with A-Rise, Erena was practicing judo. With the shrinking male demographic, the male and female judo clubs had been consolidated into one co-ed extracurricular. Naturally, this brought in a new rivalry, and she wanted to show Ren and Haru that girls could be just as good as boys in the sport. _Just a few more hours before practice. Then I'll put him in his place…_

* * *

Three hours went by, and soon the students were either leaving the premises or heading to club activities. It was Monday, and that meant one thing to Ren: Judo practice. While most of the building was modern in design, certain rooms, such as the school's dojo for the martial arts clubs, were crafted in traditional Japanese design. As Ren entered, Erena was already in her judo uniform, leaning against the wall. "I'm surprised that this doesn't conflict with _idol_ practice, Toudou-san." She approached him with a menacing look plastered across her face. "A-Rise practices on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays. We space out our sessions to avoid burnout." Ren flipped her over and pinned her to the ground. "And yet we meet for judo on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Are you sure that you're not burnt out already, Toudou-san?" Haru stepped in and pulled Ren off of Erena. "First off, Ren, put on your uniform when practicing judo, and second, we do not start matches without proper supervision. In other words, nothing takes place here when I'm not in the room! Do I make myself clear?!" Ren walked away to changing room to put on his uniform. While Haru was normally a rather laid back person, he took judo very seriously as the president of the school's judo club. "We'll restart the bout when Ren comes back. Is that fair, Toudou-san?" Erena smiled. "Of course Yamamoto-_sensei_."

Ren returned in his judo uniform, and bows were exchanged to start the match as Haru supervised. In the meantime, Yamato was baking with the cooking club, which also met on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Like the judo club, it also featured a member of A-Rise: Yuuki Anju. Unlike the stern and mature Erena Toudou, Anju was the sweetheart of the group, and her baking was even sweeter. She and Yamato had a much friendlier rivalry than Erena and Ren, and the two often enjoyed each other's company. Unfortunately for Yamato, this never went any further than a friendship…

"Anju-san, I was wondering… Are you doing anything this Saturday besides practice?"

"Not particularly. Why?"

"Well, I wasn't working, so I was wondering if you'd like to see a movie together…"

"Aww, that's sweet. I've always wondered what it would be like to hang out with a younger sibling…"

_Why, Anju-san? Do I really look that young? We are literally the same age…"_

"Shiina-kun? Is something wrong?"

"Y-yeah. I just remembered that Yamamoto-kun and I were going to hang out with Ren that day."

"Oh… Well, maybe another time, then."

"Yeah, well we'd better clean up soon. I'll be meeting up with them in a few so we can ride to work together."

After finishing his cooking club activities, Yamato walked out, thoroughly defeated. Fortunately, he wasn't alone. Back in the dojo, Ren had received his first defeat. "Well played, Toudou-san. I'm impressed. I need to go to work now, but if you'd like I could see if my boss could give you a discounted meal for beating me." Erena looked at Ren in shock. _Hold on. Is he actually being nice?_ "I might take you up on that. Can my friends come, too?" Ren gave a slight smile at her. "Sure, but they'll have to beat me at something to get a discount." As he stated this, Yamato was walking in. "Hold on. A-Rise is coming to work with us?" Ren raised an eyebrow at Yamato. "Only because Toudou-san beat me. Why is it a problem to you?"

"Do you not feel any humiliation about the fact that we work at a butler café? We are literally hired to provide fan service."

"I try not to think about it. Now let's move or we'll be late, Yamato-kun. You too, Haru."

* * *

Half an hour later, the boys were in their tuxedos, and the members of A-Rise were dining at _Butlers of Akiba_, attracting more customers with their mere presence. Ren's boss was a man in his late 20s by the name of Kou Sakurada, and the boss had money signs in his eyes as customers flocked in to get autographs. However, the members of A-Rise wanted to dine in peace, and Haru had taken quick notice. "Alright, everyone, if you want an autograph, go to a concert or an interview, but don't bother our guests. Otherwise, _ladies_, I doubt _Hayashi-san_ will show you a single ounce of favor the next time you dine with us." In an instant, the girls in the crowd dispersed, much to Tsubasa's surprise.

"Is he really that popular here, Yamamoto-san?"

"Tsunderes are natural crowd pleasers."

"True, but Ren doesn't have much _dere _left in him."

"He pulls off the act fairly well, but I think he might still have a bit of _dere_ in him."

"Are you sure."

"Yeah. He's just holding it back for some reason."

Meanwhile, Anju couldn't stop thinking of how adorable Shiina-kun looked in a tux…


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter III

As Ren, Haru, and Yamato kept themselves busy, word began to spread that A-Rise was visiting the small butler café, and it just so happened that Nico Yazawa, Rin Hoshizora, and Hanayo Koizumi were deciding what to eat (and writing a song about the ordeal while they were at it). Of course, right as they walked past the café, they couldn't help but notice the three members of A-Rise dining at a booth by the window. Nico, of course, was the first to take notice. "Hanayo, Rin. I know exactly where we need to eat." Her two hungry cohorts both nodded and went inside.

As the three girls, led by Nico, entered, they were greeted by none other than Haru, who was perhaps a bit too happy to serve them. "Welcome to Butler's of Akiba, miladies. My name is Haru Yamamoto, at your service. Please follow me to your seats." Nico looked around her, noticing all of the young men in their tuxedos. _Why would A-Rise want to eat here? _The girls were quickly seated, and Hanayo was already looking at the menu. "Look! They have profiles on all their butlers in the back!" Rin began to look at the back of the menu. "They all look really handsome, but why is this one blocking the camera?" Hanayo looked at the profile in question: To the side of the photo (which was blocked by the individual's hand) was the following information:

_Name: Ren Hayashi_

_DoB: June 4_

_Job: Waiter/Chef_

_School: UTX High_

_Hobbies: Cooking, Judo_

_Favorite Foods: Filet Mignon, French Onion Soup_

_Special Qualities: Tsundere, Cooks better than the Boss_

_Notes compiled by: Haru Yamamoto/Yamato Shiina_

Rin giggled at the last bit. "I guess the owner hasn't read the menu. I wonder what he looks like, though." Nico rolled her eyes. "What's so interesting about them? They're probably just putting on an act. I bet Hayashi-san isn't even a real tsundere." At that very moment a male customer was getting a bit rowdy over the fact that he wasn't seated next to A-Rise's table. Ren approached the young man, grabbed him by the collar, and flipped him over. "I would recommend leaving, sir. Otherwise, I'll beat you to a bloody pulp. Are we clear?" The man got up and ran out the door. Meanwhile, Nico waived Haru over to her table. "Who is that, Yamamoto-san?" Haru smiled. "That would be Hayashi-san, milady. He's actually quite friendly when you don't provoke him." Nico looked back at Ren fearfully… until he turned around, that is. He was tall and well-built, but his face had a somewhat feminine quality to it. His eyes sparkled like deep jades behind a pair of stylish glasses, and his crimson red hair was parted to the right in a stylish fashion as well. _He's… beautiful… I wonder how Maki would look in a suit, though… _Nico was not the only person to take notice of Ren, though. In fact, every girl (with the exception of A-Rise) in the restaurant was either blushing… or fainting…

Ren look around him and sighed. "I believe that it would be best that I return to the kitchen." As he began to walk back, he was quickly stopped by Haru.

"Where do you think you're going, Ren-kun?"

"Back to work."

"Aren't you at least curious what Tojo-san's friends are doing here?"

"Not particularly."

"Maybe they invited her here, but she was too shy to come."

"Why would she be shy, Haru?"

"Maybe she likes you, or maybe… they _all _like you."

"I'm sure you'd love the idea of a harem, pervert."

"Maybe I am a pervert, or maybe you don't have enough _libido_…"

Haru sneered at Ren, but failed to notice that he had made a very big mistake: His entire conversation with Ren was being held right next to the table where Nico, Rin, and Hanayo were sitting, and Nico was anything but impressed with Haru's fantasies. "We're right here, creep, and what does Nozomi have to do with your friend." Ren sighed and shook his head at Haru. "I'm deeply sorry for my friend's stupidity, miss. Tojo-san is my next door neighbor. However, Haru-kun seems to be under the impression that she is something more than that." Nico raised an eyebrow at Ren. "She's your neighbor? Also, why does the back portion of the menu say that you guys go to UTX? Isn't that an all-girls school?" Ren rolled his eyes. He was getting quite tired of hearing the last question. "UTX is a co-ed school. However, as A-Rise grew in popularity, the boy's extra-curricular activities began to receive less and less attention in the brochures. As a result, the male demographic over the last two years has plummeted from a high fifty-two percent to a meager eight percent. Does that answer your question, miss?" Nico nodded. _You learn something every day, it seems._

Ren looked towards the group. "Are you ready to order, by chance, miladies?" Nico nodded. "I'll have the chicken primavera and a glass of water as well as a chocolate-strawberry cheesecake for dessert." Ren wrote down her order and turned to Rin. "Now what about you miss?" Rin's stomach growled and she smiled sheepishly. "I'll have a bowl of the deluxe Ramen with some hot tea." Ren smiled. "It's nice to see our traditional menu receiving proper attention. I don't get to cook enough Japanese food. And what about you, miss?" Hanayo was blushing, heavily. "U-um, I-I'll have the chicken teriyaki stir-fry w-with extra rice, please... and some green tea… please… and maybe another bowl of just rice…" Ren finished writing the orders and smiled at Hanayo. _She's a lot like my sister it seems… extra rice it is… _Ren walked back to the kitchen and quickly whipped up the girls' meals.

Haru looked at Nico nervously and scratched the back of his head. "I-I'm very sorry, miss. It's just that… well, I think Ren just needs someone to break past his cold attitude. Specifically, I think he needs a girlfriend, but he doesn't really like anyone at UTX." Nico began to put the pieces together. _So he wants Hayashi-san to get a girlfriend, but Hayashi-san doesn't like anyone at UTX. Hayashi-san is neighbors with Nozomi, and Yamamoto-san thinks that there might be… Oh…_

"Yamamoto-san?"

"Y-yes?"

"Are you saying you want Hayashi-san to date Nozomi?"

"W-well. I just thought that such a thing might hold some potential, that's all. Has Tojo-san not said anything about him?"

"No, she hasn't, so leave her alone."

"Y-yes. I'm sorry. I-I'll leave her alone, then."

* * *

The night came to a close and all the idols had left. Ren rode his bike home with troubled thoughts. _Why does Haru think I need a girlfriend when he hasn't had one either?! I have enough things to worry about. I've got school, work, and a monthly rent for crying out loud! Besides, I haven't even talked to Tojo-san that much! I just met her yesterday! Jeez! I just HAD to make dinner for her. I still need to get groceries, too! _As he walked up to his apartment, however, Nozomi was waiting for him. "U-um Hayashi-san? I wanted to thank you for the meal yesterday. Here, I got them today." She held out a bag of fresh groceries.

"I told you that you didn't owe me anything, Tojo-san."

"I know, but I still felt kind of bad with you doing all the work making dinner."

Ren smiled ever so slightly. "Don't feel bad about it. I love cooking. It's relaxing to me." Nozomi nodded. "Listen, about the cards. I don't know what was going on, but I'd rather just be friends first before jumping into anything." Ren let out a sigh of relief. "Good, because you've got a ways to go before you can even consider me to be your friend. I don't know if you're being sincere or if you're putting on an act, so right now I don't quite trust you. However, the groceries were a step in the right direction. Thank you, Tojo-san." Ren took the bag of groceries and walked into his apartment, closing the door behind him. Nozomi smiled. _He's going to be hard to reach. I don't know about being lovers with him, but I'd like to be friends with him. Regardless, I accept his challenge. I'll gain his trust eventually… _


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter IV

Ren closed the door to his apartment and walked into the kitchen to start sorting out the groceries. _Jeez. She didn't need to do this. I hope she didn't spend too much._ He looked at the vegetables and their labels. _Good. They're organic. _Next he looked at the meat. _These are very fine cuts._ Ren looked at the bottom of the bag and spotted a receipt. _All right. How much did she spend? _Ren looked at the total (11000 yen) and his eyebrow began to twitch in irritation. _That is way too much money, Tojo-san. Now I owe you._ Ren turned around to exit the apartment and talk to Nozomi about the receipt… but then his cellphone started to vibrate. _What is it now?_

"Hello?"

"Evening, Onii-chan!"

Ren smiled. It was always nice to hear from his little sister.

"You don't usually call me without a reason, Hana. What's going on?"

"I skipped another grade! And guess what else!"

"What?"

"I'm moving in with you!"

_Wait, what?_

"Hold on, Hana. Why would you move in with me?"

"Your place is closer to my new school."

"Okay…"

"What's wrong, Onii-chan?"

"You'll be graduating from middle school this year, then. Correct?"

"Yep!"

"You're only 10 years old."

"I know. What's wrong with that?"

"Do you even know how babies are born?"

"Yes. I learned that last year. I thought it was actually kind of interesting… Scientifically, that is."

"I'm very concerned right now…"

"Just pick me up after school, Onii-chan. I'm going to the all-girls one near your apartment."

"I know where it is, but this isn't going to work…"

"Why not?"

"I have a job to go to after school."

"Then what should I do?"

"I've got an idea. Just hold on a moment."

* * *

Ren walked over to Nozomi's apartment and rang the buzzer. _I can't believe I'm asking her to do this. I already owe her for the groceries. _Nozomi opened up.

"Is something wrong, Hayashi-san?"

"I'm going to need your help with something… already, it seems."

Nozomi looked at him. He wasn't happy, but it was clear that with whatever he needed help with, he had no alternative solution.

"What do you need me to do?"

"Do you know about the all-girls middle school down the street?"

"Of course. My friend has a sister that goes there."

"Good. I don't know you that well, so I know I'm taking a big risk, but I want you to pick up my sister, Hana."

"What does she look like?"

"She looks a lot like me, except she's a ten year old girl."

"She's ten years old and in middle school?!"

"She's… gifted… very gifted…"

"Okay, I can pick her up. Will this be a regular occurrence?"

"No. Just this once… please…"

Nozomi smiled at Ren, trying to reassure him. "I can do it." He looked at her and smiled ever so slightly, nodded, and walked away. _I think I can trust her… But if anything happens to Hana, I'll make her suffer…_

* * *

Hana got out of bed… a California king-size to be exact, with pink silk sheets and a posturepedic mattress. The Hayashi family was extremely wealthy. Hana and Ren's parents, Ryu and Aya Hayashi, ran an international financial conglomerate, owning numerous banks and financial institutions across the entire globe. They lived in a massive four-story mansion on a ten-acre walled estate. Regardless. Neither Ren nor Hana cared for the wealth, though, as they rarely saw their parents and were mainly brought up by the maids and butlers of the estate. For Hana, today was a new start: She'd be staying with her older brother from here on out. However, she was nervous. Ren gave her a full description of his neighbor who would be picking her up, but whoever it was had to be a total stranger. However, she knew her brother had serious trust issues, so if he could trust this person, then so could Hana. After all her preparations were done, she headed off to school.

Hana walked into the classroom and stood next to teacher to be introduced to her new classmates. The instructor spoke up with a bright smile: "Good morning everyone! As you have probably noticed, we have a new transfer student with us today! Miss Hayashi, I'll let you do the rest!" Hana nodded politely and introduced herself in a very professional manner: "Good morning everyone. My name is Hana Hayashi. While I am only ten years old, I have already managed to skip four grades in the last two years. As such, it will be my greatest pleasure to study, learn, and graduate alongside all of you. Thank you very much." Hana bowed and the teacher turned back to her. "You will be sitting next to Ayase-san from now on. Take your seat and we will begin." Hana sat down in her seat and looked at the girl next to her. She had long, blonde hair and bright blue eyes. She definitely wasn't Japanese. Judging by her features, she was clearly born of European decent. Hana looked back to the front of the room. _Just focus on the lecture. You don't need to make any new friends. You don't need to make any new friends. They'll move on, but you'll still have your Onii-chan…_

The blonde girl looked at Hana. _She looks nervous. I should probably introduce myself._

"Um… Excuse me, um, Hayashi-san?"

"Yes?"

"My name's Arisa Ayase. Nice to meet you, Hayashi-san."

"Nice to meet you Ayase-san. Just call me Hana, though."

"Alright, Hana-chan. Just call me Arisa."

"Okay, Arisa-chan."

Lunch came quickly, and Arisa invited Hana to join her and her friend. "Hana, this my best friend, Yukiho Kousaka." The girl next to Arisa looked at Hana. Her hair was about the same color as Hana's, though it was a bit more auburn than red, and it was considerably shorter, as well. She had light turquoise eyes (though they had a more bluish tint whereas Nozomi's were a much greener shade of turquoise). She smiled. "It's nice to meet you, Hayashi-san." Hana giggled. "Just call me Hana. You don't need to be so formal."

"You've got it, Hana-chan. Just call me Yukiho. So, what do you do for hobbies?"

"Hobbies? I usually listen to music, read manga, and trade stocks."

_What?_ Yukiho and Arisa were twitching their eyebrows. _What kind of girl trades stocks?_

Hana just grinned. "In fact, I made 30 million yen last month!"

Arisa's eyes widened. "That's a ton of money, Hana!"

"Really? My parents make about 625 billion yen a year. That's just a little over 5 billion dollars."

"I see. I'm guessing money isn't a problem for you, then."

Despite the blatant disparity in income, Hana, Arisa, and Yukiho hit things off rather quickly. However, the school day was coming to close, and the three would have to part. Arisa looked outside. Rain was pouring down, so her sister probably wasn't going to have idol practice. Meanwhile, the girls at Otonokizaka where preparing to go home. Nozomi looked at Eli.

"Are you going to pick up your sister today?"

"Yes, I am. Why do you ask?"

"Well, my neighbor wanted me to pick up his little sister. She goes to the same school as yours."

_"__His" little sister? Don't tell me you have a boyfriend, Nozomi. I mean, if you do, you should at least tell me._ It wasn't much of a secret that Nozomi and Eli harbored a few more-than-friendly feelings for each other, and a few people speculated that they might possibly be lovers. However, no actual confessions had been made, so it wasn't like there was any actual commitment. Regardless, Eli cared for Nozomi like a sister, so she definitely wanted to know about this guy.

"Eli-chi, is something wrong?"

"Your neighbor… What's he like?"

"I only met him two days ago, so I can't say much, but he seems sweet. He can be a bit intense at times."

"Intense?"

"I don't think he fully trusts me."

By now they were about halfway to the middle school where Arisa and Hana went.

"If he doesn't trust you, why is he having you pick up his sister?"

"I don't think he had any better alternatives. He probably feels like he's taking a risk."

"So he's a loving older brother with trust issues. So, um, what does he look like?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, is he cute?"

Nozomi's face became red. _Why did you have to ask me that question, Eli-chi?!_

"He's… above average… I think…"

"Sorry, I didn't mean to put you on the spot… I just don't want you falling for someone that might hurt you…"

"Don't worry. I'll be fine."

As Nozomi and Eli approached the school courtyard, they noticed that Arisa was sharing an umbrella with a rather tiny young girl. She had dark crimson hair, deep green eyes, and square-framed glasses. Nozomi smiled. "You must be Hayashi-san's little sister." Hana looked at the girl in front of her. She matched Ren's description perfectly. "You must be Tojo-san. Just call me Hana. After all, things might get confusing if you start addressing my Onii-chan and I the same way." Eli looked at Hana suspiciously.

"How old are you?"

"I'm ten years old. I'm gifted, you see. I've skipped grades four times."

"Do you even know how babies are born?"

_My Onii-chan asked me that, too…_

"Yes, I know, and I found the process to be rather intriguing from a scientific perspective."

"That's very concerning. What's so interesting?"

"Hm… Probably the mere fact that the human body can handle the additional presence of a baby without constricting any pre-existing organs. Also, the change in the mother's diet is intriguing… and the fact that…"

"You don't have to say anything more…"

_This girl is abnormally mature for her age… I can only imagine what her brother is like…_

Nozomi couldn't help but giggle at Eli's reaction.

"Well then, Hana-chi. Shall we go?"

"I know where my Onii-chan works, if you'd like to go there for dinner."

"Sounds like a plan. Eli-chi, Arisa-chan, would you care to join us?"

The two girls nodded and the group headed off for dinner. Ren was going to have his hands full for certain…


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter V

Ren couldn't believe it. He was on waiting duty… again… _Honestly, our reviews will go down if we keep Sakurada-san in the kitchen._ The owner Kou Sakurada, was a tall, slender, 28 year old man with short, slicked-back black hair, and intense grey eyes. He was certainly a looker, however, he had just graduated from culinary school, and Ren was still a superior chef. Fortunately, Sakurada-san was a natural business man, and his butler café had become popular very quickly. Having Ren as a waiter and not a chef, however, didn't seem like a very sound business tactic, but it was a weekday, and most people came on the weekends. Ren slouched on the podium, clearly bored. _We were busy yesterday, but that's only because A-Rise was here. We should shorten our working hours during the week. I wonder who will come in the door next. _Ren straightened himself out. He couldn't be seen slouched over when a customer walked in the door, and he straightened himself out just in time, too, because four customers were walking in.

"Afternoon, miladies. Allow me to show you…"

Ren looked at the girl in the lead. "Hana?" Ren should have expected his sister to visit him at work, but nevertheless, he was caught off-guard. Hana quickly ran up and hugged her older brother, then turned to the rest of the group. "Everyone, this is my onii-chan, Ren-kun. He's a really good cook!" Hana looked back at her brother, who was smiling and lightly blushing. "You are cooking today, right?" Ren sighed. "I wasn't originally assigned to kitchen duty today, but I certainly won't allow Sakurada-san to make your meals." Sakurada-san wasn't a bad cook. In fact, he was quite talented. However, Ren was a very harsh critic, and the difference between their cooking was quite noticeable, with Ren's cooking being the better of the two. "Anyway, allow me to show you to your seats."

After being seated and ordering drinks, the group took some time to look at the menu. Eli looked around her. The restaurant had a very nice atmosphere to it, with solid oak flooring, light purple wallpaper, and English-Tudor style windows. She looked at the menu. Everything looked delicious, but the prices were a bit high. Eli bit her lip. _I'd like the fettuccini in lobster dressing, but it's so expensive._ Hana looked at her and smiled. "Order whatever you'd like. It's on me. I'm getting the filet mignon to make my Onii-chan jealous, otherwise I'd just get a big bowl of fried rice." Eli looked at Hana with a confused expression on her face. "Shouldn't you be more careful with how you spend your money, Hana-chan?" Hana sighed. _Am I really that rich? _"I have about 98 million yen in my bank account right now, so I think I should be fine."

"98 million?!"

"I've been trading stocks for the last two years, and my family's business gives me a lot of knowledge that most investors can't get their hands on."

"What exactly do your parents do?"

"You haven't heard of the Hayashi conglomerate?"

"Wait. Your family owns the multi-national financial banking conglomerate based here in Tokyo?!"

"Correct…"

_If Hayashi-san is so rich, why does he live in an apartment next to Nozomi-chan? _Something was off, and Eli could tell, but she'd save her concern for another time. She didn't want to ruin the mood. Besides, Nozomi seemed to be enjoying herself. Meanwhile, Ren returned with their drinks: Iced green tea for Nozomi, pink lemonade for Arisa, and iced Darjeeling tea for Hana and Eli. "Here you go, miladies. Are you ready to order, or do you need more time to look at the menu?" Eli knew what she wanted, and the rest of the group nodded. Hana ordered first, then Nozomi, and then Arisa. Meanwhile, Eli was inspecting Ren. _Nozomi just called this guy "above average," but clearly she was being shy. If I were in the fashion industry, I'd probably hire him as a model. He certainly has a trustworthy face, however, appearances can only say so much. If Nozomi trusts him, though, I guess I can let my guard down. She's always been a good judge of character… _Ren turned to Eli after finishing the first three orders. "What would you like to have, milady?" Eli looked him in the eyes. _They're certainly pretty…_ "I'll have the fettuccini in lobster sauce, please." Ren nodded. "Coming right up." He quickly rushed over to the kitchen and it could easily be heard that his boss wasn't happy.

"Hayashi-san, you're on waiting duty today!"

"I'm not letting you screw up my sister's order!"

"Do you want a pay cut, Hayashi-san?!"

"Do you want me to pummel you?!"

"F-fine, fine! Just return to waiting duty as soon as you finish!"

Eli's eyebrow twitched. "Most people would get fired for threatening their employers like that." Nozomi nodded. "He clearly cares about his sister, though, if he won't let anyone else cook for her." Hana decided to chime in as well. "My onii-chan is a bit protective, but he's actually really nice once you get to know him." Nozomi scratched the back of her neck. "Just getting to know your brother is a challenge alone." Hana frowned. "He doesn't trust girls very much… not since that typhoon two years ago…" Eli quickly took notice of Hana's downturn in mood. "What happened, exactly?" Hana shrugged. "I'm not sure, but ever since then, he and Tsubasa-san stopped hanging out." Eli couldn't help but be surprised. _Hayashi-san goes to UTX, so she must be talking about Kira Tsubasa. I need to know what happened. If he did something to her, I need to know so I can warn Nozomi…_

Ren started cooking the meals. _Well, at least Hana's getting along with them. _Ren was nervous. He didn't like putting too much trust into people, especially girls. _I'll never forgive Tsubasa, no matter how many tears she sheds. She made her decision._ Ren remembered the trust he had once placed in Kira Tsubasa… The trust that she betrayed…

* * *

It had originally started with a promise. Ren and Kira had been best friends since elementary school, and when middle school came along, they were like brother and sister. "Ren-kun! Look!" She ran up to him holding a brand new cellphone. "Come on, let's exchange numbers! If anything ever happens, call me. I promise to answer right away!" Ren looked at her. "You know a lot of things can go wrong with my family, Kira-chan. How far can I expect you to go for me?" Kira hugged her best friend. "If you end up homeless, I'll be sure to take you in! I promise!" That promise… it was a powerful one…

Three years of middle school came by and went, and she and Ren were now in high school. However, the tension that was building up within the Hayashi family had been building up to unfathomable levels. It was a dark day during summer break as a typhoon raged outside the Hayashi family estate and the family had sat down for dinner. Ren's father, Ryu, began to speak.

"This storm had better clear up soon. Your mother and I have a flight tomorrow morning."

"You're leaving?"

"That's right, Ren. You and your sister will have to take care of yourselves."

"That's what we've always done."

"Come now. I'm making good money to provide for you. You should be thanking me."

"Why would I want to thank you?! You and mother are never at home!"

"It's for your own good. I'm only doing what I feel a father has to do."

"You're nobody's father…"

"Excuse me…"

"I grew up alone. I raised Hana by myself. You're no father of mine…"

Ren began to walk away from the dining room.

"Then you're not my son…"

Ryu stood from his chair and punched Ren right in the stomach. "Get out of my house…" Ren picked himself up and ran out the house. He got on his bike and started to pedal. He needed to find shelter, and he needed to find it fast. He rode on blindly for about half an hour. However, as he rode downhill, the wind and rain were becoming too much for him to handle. In a matter of seconds, he lost his balance and was thrown off his bike and onto the pavement. His forehead was bleeding out, and he was barely managed to maintain his consciousness. Remembering the promise Tsubasa had made three years earlier, he pulled out his cellphone. The screen was cracked from the impact, but the phone itself was still working. He dialed her number.

_Hello. Kira Tsubasa is unable to take your call. Please leave a message after the beep._

He dialed again.

_Hello. Kira Tsubasa is unable to take your call. Please leave a message after the beep._

"Please don't do this to me…"

He dialed again.

_Hello. Kira Tsubasa is unable to take your call. Please leave a message after the beep._

"Kira-chan, please."

_Hello. Kira Tsubasa is unable to take your call. Please leave a message after the beep._

"Please… you promised me…"

Meanwhile, the members of A-Rise were practicing in an indoor dance studio. Anju looked outside. "Looks like we'll be here a bit longer. Kira-chan, I was wondering. When are you going to confess to Hayashi-san, already?" Kira looked back at her, blushing. "I told you I'd do that next week, didn't I? Come on. Let's just get back to practice." Suddenly, her phone started to ring. Anju looked over her shoulder as she picked it up to see who it was from. "Well, well, well. It's from Hayashi-san. Come on get it over with already!" Kira scoffed. "I'll call him back later. We have a competition to worry about right now." She then silenced the phone and went back to practice.

At the same time, Haru was on his way home from work, trying to get out of the rain. As he got to the street corner, however, he saw a familiar figure lying on the ground. "Ren-kun!" Ren turned his head weakly in Haru's direction. "Haru… Is that you?" As his friend slipped out of consciousness, Haru grabbed his cell phone and called the ambulance. "Ren-kun. Just hold on, buddy. Just hold on…"

Three hours had passed when Ren opened his eyes. He was in a hospital bed with Haru sitting beside him. "Haru… You're the only one I can trust right now…" His phone started to ring. Haru picked it up. "I've got it Ren. Save your breath. Hello? This is Haru Yamamoto speaking."

"Haru? Where's Ren-kun?"

"We're at the hospital right now."

"What happened?!"

"I'm not sure. I found him on the street a while ago. His bike was crashed and he was bleeding out, but I think he's a bit better."

Kira had seen four missed calls a few moments ago. _What have I done? Ren, I am so sorry._

"I need to talk to him now!"

"I'll ask if he's up to it."

Ren nodded and took the phone from Haru.

"How nice of you to finally pick up Tsubasa-san…"

_Tsubasa-san? You've never called me that… We've always been friends…_

"Ren-kun…"

"You don't have the right to call me that anymore. Remember the promise you made?"

Kira nodded as tears began to pour down her cheeks.

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! Please don't do this to me!"

Ren could hear her sobbing on the other end.

"I think it's time that you understand the meaning of pain, Tsubasa-san…"

"Ren-kun! Please don't…"

*click*

At that moment Kira broke down in tears. She was curled up on the floor, sobbing. Ren had done more than break a friendship… He had broken her heart… As school started up the next week, she had already decided to make amends. Unfortunately, he was in no mood to forgive, and she was in no place to ask for such a thing. She approached him slowly in the hallway. "Ren-kun, I'm…" Upon hearing her voice Ren spun around and slapped her across the face. "I believe I told you before that you have no right to call me that anymore." In front of the entire school, Ren had slapped her. Normally, he would have been hated for it, but in an attempt to redeem herself, Kira asked everyone who had seen what happened to forget it and to leave Ren be…

* * *

Ren finished cooking the girls' dishes and served them. He stood there for a bit to see their reactions. Eli took her first bite. "Khorosho… This is amazing!" The other three nodded in agreement as they bit into their food. Nozomi handed Ren a piece of paper. "Here you go, Hayashi-san." Ren looked at the paper. Her phone number was written on it. "Thank you very much, Tojo-san, though I hope I won't need to rely on you too much." She smiled. "If you ever need help or anything happens, just call me. I promise I'll help with whatever you need." Ren was struck by her words. _That same promise... _He glared at her menacingly. "Don't make promises you can't keep, Tojo-san." With that, he walked away, leaving behind a cold atmosphere. Fortunately, the food was more than enough to counter it. Nozomi looked back as he walked away. _Someone broke that promise, didn't they, Hayashi-san?_


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter VI

Nozomi, Eli, Hana, and Arisa finished their meals and received their check. However, As Nozomi picked up the small booklet that held the check, a small note fell out. "What's this?" Eli picked the note and read it. Eli tensed up. Something was seriously off. Nozomi saw her friend's expression and was quick to show concern.

"Is something wrong Eli-chi?"

"Read it."

Eli passed the note to Nozomi who began to read it.

_You made a very dangerous promise to my friend, Tojo-san. Meet me in the park directly east of Ren's apartment. I'll be waiting._

\- _Haru Yamamoto_

As Nozomi put the note down, one of the waiters signed off of his shift early and rushed passed the girls. Eli looked up and noticed the tall blonde leaving the restaurant. "That must be Yamamoto-san. Let's pay the bill and get going. I need some answers." The other girls nodded, paid the bill and left. Eli quickly dropped off Arisa on the way to Nozomi's apartment, but she knew that Hana was probably going to take more time. They quickly made their way to the apartment complex where Ren and Nozomi lived. Hana looked up at Nozomi. "Thank you, Tojo-san. I'll take it from here. You should go see what Haru wants." Nozomi looked back at Hana. The little girl was scared and visibly trembling. "I'm not going yet. I need to make sure you're alright." Hana started crying. "The reason I'm here isn't just because my Onii-chan lives closer to school. My mom and dad… They're fighting… She wants Onii-chan to come home, but… but my dad won't allow it…" She began to hug Nozomi's waist and started crying into her shirt. Nozomi returned the embrace and gently stroked Hana's head. "It's alright Hana… I'm going to fix this… I promise…" Eli looked at Nozomi with pure shock.

"Do you have any idea of what you're saying Nozomi?! His family is rich and powerful! What do you intend to do about it?!"

"Eli-chi, are you forgetting why I live here? If it weren't for you, I'd still live with my parents moving from town to town. I know how it feels to grow up alone, and trust me… it's not a good experience."

"Nozomi…"

"I know his family has power, but the cards are telling me to help him."

Eli sighed. _It's always the cards._ Nozomi turned back to Hana, who seemed to have stop crying. "Can you handle yourself alone for a bit, Hana?" The little girl nodded and pulled a small black leather book out of her schoolbag. "Don't tell Onii-chan I gave this to you. It's… his diary… He left it behind at home… it might help somehow… Thank you… Onee-chan…" Hana took a spare key from a nearby planter and unlocked the door to her brother's apartment and went inside, closing the door behind her as Nozomi and Eli headed off to the nearby park. Just as the note said, Haru was waiting for them, leaning against a lamp post.

Eli took a good look at the young man in front of them. He was clearly the same age as Hayashi-san, and he was about the same height. Like Ren, Haru was thin, but muscular, though his skin was a bit lighter. Haru looked up at Nozomi. "You've arrived. Good. I see your friend is here as well." Eli leered at him. "Is that going to be a problem?" Haru looked Eli in the eye with a concerned look on his face, as if to tell her to calm down. She looked at his face nervously. His brown eyes showed a feeling of concern, desperation, and fear. She lowered her guard. "So, why are we here?" Haru approached the girls slowly and cautiously, and Eli quickly noticed his trepidation. "I understand why you are here, Ayase-san. It shows that I'm not the only one concerned about their friends. The thing is, your friend promised Ren that she'd always be willing to help him whenever he called, but the thing is… that promise was made to him about six years ago… and it was broken when he needed help from that person more than ever. I'm curious, though. How far would you go for a friend?" Eli was struck by the question. "I'd hurt anyone that harmed Nozomi." Haru shook his head. "It's one thing to kill for someone. It's another thing to die for them. I would risk my life for Ren. Unfortunately, the girl he trusted most back then wasn't so willing to do so." Eli remembered what Hana said about Ren and Tsubasa. "Tsubasa made that promise to him?" Haru nodded.

"And she ignored him… when he had been disowned and was bleeding out on the pavement… If I hadn't taken extra hours to work that day, I wouldn't have found him lying there, and my best friend would be dead…"

"She wouldn't…"

"Oh really? Do you think that because she's an idol, she's genuinely a good person? Tsubasa left Ren to die because practicing for the Love Live was more important at the time."

"At the time?"

"She's not perfect, but she's not a bad person either. She and Ren… They were inseparable back then… Everyone thought they'd end up dating, but after that night… He could never forgive her… She tried to apologize… but he slapped her instead of granting her forgiveness…"

"So you want him to move on."

"Yes, but I also want to inform you of the risk involved. Tojo-san. Reaching his heart isn't going to be easy."

Nozomi nodded. "I know. I'm prepared to take that challenge."

"No. You're not prepared. With most high school relationships, reaching someone's heart is an uphill climb. There's some resistance, but if you stumble, you can pick yourself back up and move on. With Ren however, you'll be climbing a sheer cliff, and if you slip… You'll fall… The cliff will show no mercy, and it will break you… Tsubasa never truly recovered… A-Rise can never reach its full potential, because Ren killed her inspiration… Sure, they won the Love Live, but if you look at their performance closely, you'll begin to notice just how little feeling it has… Every emotion is faked and choreographed."

Nozomi began to walk away.

"I'll take that risk."

* * *

While Nozomi left, Eli stayed behind.

"What exactly was Tsubasa's inspiration?"

"It was Ren… She loved him..."

"How did he originally feel about her?"

"I think he loved her too, but when she never answered, the fire in his heart died out… I'm hoping your friend can keep that promise… I don't want anyone to get hurt again…"

"Do you think he could ever forgive her?"

"Under one condition…"

"What exactly would that be?"

"She would need to publicly apologize for what she did. People know that they don't get along, but besides me, Ren, you, Tojo-san, and the members of A-Rise, nobody knows what she did…"

"People would start to hate her."

"Yeah. They would, but if Ren saw her give up the Love Live for him, he might have a change of heart."

Haru started to walk away when Eli called out to him. "Wait!" He turned around slowly. "What is it?" She pulled out her phone. "I want your phone number and email. I think we need to keep in touch with Nozomi trying to help Hayashi-san." Haru nodded and the two exchanged information. "I couldn't agree more. If anything goes wrong, we'll let each other know. Oh, and one more thing." Eli raised an eyebrow at him. "What?"

"Can I get you to pose for a picture, please?"

_SLAP!_

"How's that?"

"I get the message… loud and clear… Ow…"

Eli walked away and looked at her phone, wondering if she should block Haru's number. _No. He might be a bit of a perv, but I need his help right now to keep an eye on Hayashi-san._ She looked back at him as he waved her goodbye with a sheepish smile. His smile was a bright one, and his eyes seemed to sparkle like those of a small child. He was a good person, and Eli couldn't deny it. She just wasn't certain if he could be trusted around girls… Eli looked back at his and sighed. One picture wouldn't hurt. Before leaving him, she decided to make a small pose. He took the picture eagerly and waved goodbye with the same small, sincere, sheepish smile. _Don't get any weird ideas, Yamamoto-san._

* * *

Meanwhile, Nozomi was back in her apartment, looking at the small book that Hana had given her. If she was going to help Ren, she needed to understand him. She opened it to the first page. The handwriting was abnormally good for the age of the child that had written the first entry

_Ren Hayashi – Age 6 Day 1 of my Diary_

_Mom and Dad have stopped spending time with me, and now they're going overseas. Dad says he'll get me something nice when he comes back. I hope they don't take too long. I don't want to be alone._


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter VII

Three months went by as Nozomi and Ren continued to run errands for each other. Three months went by as Ren slowly began to trust her. His sister was always referring to her as Onee-chan, and he could never tell his sister not to like someone. He was worried, however. He was worried that Nozomi would abandon him as Tsubasa did, but he had to admit that this girl was different. Ren looked at his to-do list for the day:

_1.__Finish Hana's laundry_

_2.__Call mother to replenish "reserves"_

_3.__Do something to pay back Nozomi for taking Hana out for ice cream yesterday_

Ren sighed at the second thing he needed to do. As a gourmet chef, Ren often used alcoholic beverages for seasoning, such as white wine for chicken cordon bleu and sake for stir fry. Unfortunately, he was still underage and had to rely on his mother to buy them for him. He had learned from Hana what was going on at home, so he was more apprehensive than usual about calling her. Ren decided to start with the easier chores. His sister was out with her friends, so he decided to get her laundry taken care of while she was out. _This is going to be a boring day… and I was hoping to spend some time with her…_

* * *

Meanwhile, Nozomi was on her way to Maki's home with the rest of her friends. A silver Mercedes-Benz gullwing coupe was parked outside. Maki stepped outside and waved to the group. "Morning everyone. My mom's having a friend over, so we may have to keep the noise down. Is that alright with everyone?" Nico nodded with a grin. "Of course it is!" Maki raised an eyebrow at Nico. "You and Rin are the ones I'm most concerned about." As they entered the building Maki's mother was speaking with her friend, a tall, slender woman with jet-black hair, deep green eyes like jades, and a stylish pair of rimless glasses. "Kino-chan, I wasn't expecting your daughter to make so many friends. She's always been so quiet, so I was getting worried." Maki's mother laughed. "It was a surprise to me, as well, Aya. Speaking of children, did I hear that my god-daughter moved in with my god-son?" Aya nodded. "You heard correctly. Hana called me yesterday. It sounds like Ren is doing well. I'm just glad she's alright." Nozomi couldn't help but take notice of the mothers' conversation as her friends were sitting down in the living room. "Excuse me, ma'am?" Aya turned to the girl behind her. The resemblance was blatantly obvious. She and Ren had almost the exact same facial features, though his were still a bit more masculine.

"Yes?"

"Are you Ren-kun's mother?"

After three months of maintaining his trust, Ren and Nozomi were finally speaking to each other casually, no longer referring to each other as "Hayashi-san" and "Tojo-san", but Nozomi knew that Ren was waiting for her to slip up.

"Yes, I'm his mother. I'm guessing you're one of his friends, then?"

"Yes, that's correct. We're neighbors, actually."

Aya put on a sly grin and looked Nozomi up and down. _Does this mean? Oh my! Ren, I'm so proud of you. She's got a cute face, and… a very nice bust… So my son has a thing for large breasts… I'll need to remember that next time I talk to him… I'll finally get to see him blush… Ah, it's been a while since I saw Ryu blush… I may need to plan something tonight…_

"What's your name, dear?"

"Nozomi Tojo."

"Hmm… Nozomi Hayashi…"

"Excuse me?"

"Oh, nothing! Nothing! Anyway, I shouldn't be keeping you from your friends. Besides, I have a tight schedule, so I'd better get going!"

Mrs. Hayashi turned to leave when her phone started ringing. She looked to see who it was from: Ren. Her sly grin became devilish as she picked up.

"Hello?"

"Hello, mother. I have a request to make."

"If it's to give your neighbor my blessing, I'll be more than happy to do so!"

"How do you know about my neighbor?"

"She's friends with Maki-chan, and my must say you made an excellent choice!"

"Mother… she's just a friend…"

The entire room was focused on Ren's mother by now and Nozomi was red as a tomato.

"What do you mean she's just a friend?!"

"She's just been helping me out with Hana. That's all."

"So you don't have a thing for her?!"

"Mother, I swear, if you do anything to embarrass her…"

"You know that every mother wants grandchildren!"

"Mom… I'm not interested…"

"But I can picture them already! They'd be absolutely darling!"

"Listen, can you just restock my 'seasonings', please?"

"Of course, but will you at least consider how your mother feels? And don't tell me that you and Haru are thing… It's not natural for two boys to be together like that!"

"And what if Haru and I actually are a thing?"

"I'd still love you, but… I'd be sad… You know I want grandchildren…"

"Mother, you are absolutely shameless."

"And you have an unhealthy case of apathy!"

"Bye, mom…"

"Wait! Are you and Haru actually together?"

"No…"

"So I might have grandkids?"

"Probably not..."

*click*

* * *

Aya stormed out of the house and left to get the wine and sake that her son needed. _Honestly, she was a lovely girl! Why don't you ever notice things like that, Ren-kun!_ Meanwhile, Eli turned to Nozomi.

"Ren-kun?"

"We're friends now, so we figured we don't need to be so formal."

Honoka raised her hand. "Who's Ren-kun?" Maki rolled her eyes. "Hayashi-san is my mother's god-son. I haven't seen him since I was five though. So you're his next door neighbor, Nozomi?" Nozomi nodded. "He's a bit shy, but he's really nice. I wasn't expecting his mother to be like that, though." Maki scoffed. "She's always like that. She's a bigger pervert than most guys." Honoka cringed. She remembered how bad some of the boys in middle school could be. All of a sudden, Nozomi's phone started ringing.

"Hello?"

"Nozomi. It's Ren."

"You had to call now, didn't you?"

"Don't tell me my mother was there…"

"Unfortunately, yes… She was here…"

"Have you had lunch yet?"

"No, I'm at my friend's place with about eight other people right now, but we'll probably have lunch soon."

"I'll be right over. I owe you for watching Hana yesterday."

*click*

Nozomi sighed. She wasn't going to hear the end of it today. "I think he's going to make lunch for us." Nico, Hanayo, and Rin began to water up at the mouth, all thinking the same thing. _Hayashi-san's cooking? For free? We love you, Nozomi! _Kotori, on the other hand was tensing up. "What's wrong?" asked Umi. "Hayashi-san… He works the butler café across from where I worked… We could never cook as well as him…" Umi looked at her friend. Kotori's hands were clenched, and she was blushing.

"Kotori, why are you blushing?"

"You'll understand once you see him. Three of my coworkers tried to stalk him…"

"Three people tried to stalk him?!"

"Like I said, you'll understand once you see him."

Fifteen minutes had passed by when the door rang. Maki opened the door and instantly started blushing.

"U-um. Come on in, Hayashi-san."

"Thank you. I'll start cooking right away."

As he walked into the main room, everyone's face (except for Eli's) went red, and Kotori's nose had started to bleed. _He looks like a model! Nozomi, why didn't you tell us about him?_ However, Ren ignored them and proceeded towards the kitchen. Mrs. Nishikino raised an eyebrow. _Aya wasn't joking when she said he was apathetic. Nine blushing girls in front of him and he doesn't even flinch… _Ren immediately got to work and started to smile. There was nothing more fun than making a gourmet meal for a large group, and today he was making Poulet de Provencal, a rather exquisite French dish with seasoned chicken, mushrooms, and balsamic vinegar. However, his euphoria was killed as Nozomi walked in.

"Ren-kun, you really don't have to do this for me."

"Have you considered how many times I've told _you_ that?"

"Good point. So, what's for lunch?"

"Poulet de Provencal. It's a French recipe. I'll write down the recipe for you when I'm done."

"Thank you. How are things going with your family?"

"It's going downhill, as usual. I get that you're worried, but I really don't want you to get involved."

"Why not? We're friends aren't we?"

"That's exactly it, Nozomi. I don't want my friends getting hurt."

Nozomi sighed. She knew Ren's situation better than he thought, and she was more than halfway through his diary. While the book wasn't particularly long, it was often painful to read. It was full of loneliness and anger, and the last entry she read was particularly painful.

_Year 5 Week 32 Day 4_

_Mother and Father just came home today. He bought me a brand new cookbook and he bought Hana a stuffed pony. Both of the gifts were rare and expensive items but it doesn't really matter… They're just shallow expressions of pretentious love… Hana's first word two years ago was not "mother" or "father." No, it was "Onii," because I'm the only one who's ever been here for her. She and I are growing up alone with a bunch of maids and butlers, and all our parents do is travel across the globe securing deals and attending meetings… I'm tired of it… so tired of it…_

Nozomi remembered the entry on Hana's first word all too well. It was happy, but it was also sad. Ren's little sister was beginning to talk, but her parents weren't able to witness it. They were in Sweden brokering a deal that increased their conglomerates stock by almost ten percent. Ren's life was a life of loneliness, but it was also one of deep love. He cared for his sister more than anything and anyone else. She knew why he didn't want a girlfriend. It wasn't a lack of hormones. It was the fear of loneliness… He didn't want to get attached to someone only to lose them in the end. It had already happened with Tsubasa. She knew he was being obstinate around her, not wanting to get overly attatched…

* * *

Meanwhile, Haru had decided to go to the park and meet up with Tsubasa. The Love Live preliminary finals would be coming around in a month, and Haru wanted to make sure a certain decision was made before then.

"Kira-chan, do you know I brought you out here?"

"I'm making a speech for the Love Live on Monday. I'm guessing you want me to make a public apology to Ren."

"That's correct."

"I'm not doing it."

"Is it because you want to win the Love Live, or is it because you don't want to make yourself remember what you did?"

Kira looked Haru in the eye. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying.

"Do you know why I still perform, Haru?"

"To forget about the promise you broke. To forget about Ren."

"Damn it. What are you, psychic?"

"I just know how people work. Listen, unless you apologize, you'll be carrying the weight of your sins for the rest of your life. We graduate this year. This may be your last chance to atone."

"He's been seen spending time with Tojo-san, though. I've been replaced in his heart."

"She's not even close to his heart. They're nothing more than friends, and that bond is still young and fragile."

Kira let out a sigh of relief. The rumors were just rumors, then.

"Alright… I'll apologize on Monday…"

Haru walked away. His work was done, and one of Ren's wounds had a chance to heal…


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter VIII

Ren finished cooking and called out to the girls in the living room. "Alright, everyone. Lunch is ready! Poulet de Provencal, potatoes gruyere, and mixed vegetables! Grab a plate!" The nine girls rushed into the kitchen to see eleven plates set out before them: nine for them, one for Ren, and another for Mrs. Nishikino. There was also one other sitting by the stove. Rin took notice of the twelfth plate. "Who's that for?" As soon as she asked, the front door flew open. Aya Hayashi stormed in. "What's this about my son cooking for everyone but his own mother?!" Ren rolled his eyes, turned towards Rin, and pointed to his mother. "That's who the twelfth plate is for. Mrs. Nishikino called her as soon as I started cooking." He shouted out to his mother. "I made a plate for you as well, so stop whining!"

Everyone sat down in the dining room, staring in awe at their plates. _He made all this?! For twelve people?! _Ren couldn't help but smile. Despite the hell going on with his family, seeing his culinary work appreciated put his mind at ease. The meal proceeded well, and he was bombarded with compliments on his cooking, but he didn't feel overwhelmed. He was simply happy. Kotori remembered how the maid café she worked at was a rival of the butler café Ren worked at, but now she understood why the butler café came out on top. Ren was more than just a top-notch chef, he was an artist, creating culinary masterpieces for everyone to enjoy. Just as µ's made music to bring about smiles in an audience, Ren cooked top quality meals to bring about smiles in his diners. The girls asked him plenty of questions during dinner.

"So where do you go to school?"

"UTX."

"I thought that was an all-girls school."

"That's a common misconception. We're coed, but our male demographic has dropped down to eight percent."

"Do you do any sports?"

"I'm in the judo club if that counts."

"How long have you been cooking?"

"Hmm. Since I was six, I think."

"Do you have a girlfriend?"

"No. I'm too busy, anyway."

"How long have you known Nozomi-chan?"

"About three months."

"What do you think of her?"

Ren blushed a bit, but answered with a smile.

"She's a good person, even if she's a bit naïve."

Nozomi, who was sitting next to him, tried to grope him.

"Do I really seem so innocent to you, Ren-kun?"

Ren raised an eyebrow and looked at the rest of the group.

"Does she ever do this to you?"

"All the time... ugh…"

"Nozomi, I didn't realize you were a serial groper. You put my mother to shame."

Mrs. Hayashi and Nozomi both objected.

"You're just apathetic, Ren-kun!"

"Yeah, yeah. Also, Nozomi, you realize guys don't have breasts like girls do, so groping me there doesn't really work."

Mrs. Hayashi chimed in.

"If you intend to grope him, you'll need to reach a bit lower, dear."

Ren and Nozomi instantly started blushing, with Ren giving Nozomi a look that said, "Grab my crotch and I'll kill you."

The entire room burst into laughter, and everyone was having a good time. Even Ren, who didn't always get along well with his mother, was enjoying himself. Unfortunately, the joyful moment came to an abrupt halt when Nico decided to ask him a question that was more than a bit sensitive. "You go to UTX, right? Are you friends with Tsubasa-san?" Nozomi and Eli froze up, unsure of what his reaction would be. Ren stood up from the table and headed towards the door. "It's all about her, isn't it? If only you saw just what she truly is." Mrs. Hayashi stood up to leave. "I apologize. I think that my son and I have overstayed our welcomes."

"You're going overseas again, _mother_?"

"Ren, not around guests."

"Who gave you the right to tell me that?"

"I'm your mother, Ren. I'll always hold that right."

"You haven't been involved in my life for 10 years! You don't have the right to do so. I raised Hana by myself, because there was no one else who could!"

"Ren… enough… I understand… I'm… I'm sorry…"

"So you actually have regret…"

"Yes… but your father feels differently. Ren… please come home… I want my son back…"

* * *

Mrs. Nishikino put her arms around her friend. She knew well what the Hayashi family was going through. She turned to the nine girls at the dining room table. "All of you. Go upstairs." Each of them went upstairs to Maki's room, except for one: Nozomi. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Nishikino, but I'd like to stay." Ren gave her the same menacing look that he gave her when they first met. "Nozomi-chan, I told you to stay out of my family. You have no idea what I've been through." Nozomi pulled out his diary and placed it on the table in front of him. "I'd beg to differ, Ren-kun."

"Where did you get that, Nozomi-chan?"

"From Hana…"

Ren's eyes widened at the revelation. He should have known Hana would be involved. She was calling Nozomi "Onee-chan" from day one.

"Why are you doing this? Why are you trying to help me?"

"Because you're my friend, Ren-kun!"

"Then what do you expect me to do?! Huh?! What do you think is going to solve this?!"

"Talk to your father."

"I… I can't do that…"

"Why not?!"

"He'll… He'll take everything away from me, I know it… He'll make Hana go home… and she'll be lonely again."

Ren was on the verge of tears. He didn't want Nozomi to get involved. He didn't want her to get hurt, but now it was too late. She knew his past. She knew his pain. And most importantly, she knew that he was running away from his problems. The seal on the lockbox that encased his heart was being corroded with every moment he spent with her. The gates to the walled refuge of his soul were being assaulted by a battering ram. He could only remember the last time he grew attached to someone. He had been in love with Tsubasa. He trusted her wholeheartedly… and then she betrayed his trust. He didn't want to be alone anymore. He didn't want to be attached anymore. He didn't want to suffer anymore. Ren picked up his diary. It covered his life between the ages of 7 and 16, but there were times when entire months were skipped, and the years when he was eleven, thirteen, and fourteen didn't exist at all. Those skips were the reason that those years fit into such a small diary. Those skips were the times that his life remained stagnant. They were the times when the pain was greatest. Recently, though, in the three months he had known Nozomi, his life had begun to move forward at a rapid pace, but that pace was too rapid for his heart to handle. He hadn't fallen in love with her yet, but it was only a matter of time before the lock protecting his heart fully corroded.

"Nozomi, you've got school, graduation, and the preliminary finals of the Love Live to worry about. You don't have time to worry about a third party."

"I might have a busy schedule, but I still have time for you."

"You're relentless. I just ruined the day for you and your friends, and you're still trying to help me. Why?"

"Because the cards told me so."

She pulled out one of her cards: Strength

"It's always about the cards. They essentially told us to get married, remember?"

"I… I remember… but regardless of whether you're my lover or my friend… I care about you, Ren-kun."

_I care about you…_

_I care about you…_

* * *

Ren couldn't take anymore. He had to distance himself from her. He couldn't get attached to her. He'd only lose her. She'd leave him to pursue her own ambitions, just like Tsubasa. He turned around and ran out the door. Mrs. Hayashi picked up the diary and gave it to Nozomi. "You're the only one who can reach him, Tojo-san. However, my husband will need to see this diary." Nozomi was puzzled. "Why can't you give it to him?" Mrs. Hayashi was tearing up. "I can't bring up Ren with my husband. Without Hana at home, I don't know what he'd do to me." Nozomi only knew from Ren's diary what his father was like, but now she truly understood the family's predicament. It wasn't just the children who were suffering. The mother was suffering as well, all because her husband was blinded by his own ambition, just like Tsubasa was when she ignored Ren's desperate calls for help. Nozomi knew what she needed to do: She needed to confront Ryu Hayashi herself. If the man struck her, it would be a prison sentence, but if he struck a member of his own family, it would be considered a private matter. As a member of a third party, Nozomi held an advantage, but the risk was still present.

"Mrs. Hayashi."

"Yes, dear?"

"I'll do it."

Aya wrote down her husband's number on a piece of paper and handed it to Nozomi.

"Good luck then, Tojo-san. Take care of my son."

Nozomi nodded and called Eli to let her know that she was leaving.

"Eli-chi. I have something I need to do. I'm sorry I can't stay."

"I understand. I heard."

"What?"

"Sorry for eavesdropping."

"It's fine. It's nice to have people looking out for me."

"One more thing."

"What is it?"

"Be careful."

"I will be. I promise."

*click*

Eli would have gone along, but this was something her friend needed to do alone.

_Be careful, Nozomi._

* * *

After Nozomi left, Mrs. Hayashi turned to her friend. "Thank you for putting up with that, 'Kino-chan." Mrs. Nishikino smiled. "Aya, that boy's my godchild. I'm not just going to send him away. I'm just glad that he made a friend." Aya looked outside, her eyes seeming to sparkle with hope. "She might just be able to end my family's pain." Mrs. Nishikino sighed. "You seem to have a lot of hope placed in that girl, and you sound pretty serious about making her your daughter in law, though" Aya put on a shameless grin. "Of course." Her grin turned back into a soft smile. "I think that it's destiny that brought her to my son. Otherwise, he would have ignored her…"


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter IX

Nozomi ran back to her apartment complex in an effort to catch up with Ren. She knew he would be there, and she wasn't done talking to him. She could have simply called Ryu Hayashi to schedule a meeting, but she wasn't going to do it alone. She wasn't the one who had suffered. Ren needed to talk to his father, and Nozomi was willing to drag him in the mud if she had too. Finally, she reached the apartment complex as a black limo drove away from the building. _What was that about? _A malevolent aura seemed to hang over the place. She reached his apartment and knocked on the door, but there was no answer. She knew he was still there. His bike was parked in the rack in front of the complex. She knocked again. Still no answer. _Fine then. I'll let myself in whether you like it or not._ She reached in the planter near his door and took out the spare key. She turned the knob only to realize that the door was unlocked and proceeded to open it, but was stopped cold in her tracks by what she saw. The entire main entryway had been trashed. Broken glass and the remains of a curio cabinet littered the floor, with numerous cooking awards scattered about, and it was clear that a physical altercation had taken place. At that moment, Nozomi realized why Mrs. Hayashi didn't want to confront her husband. She rushed inside and found Ren unconscious behind the kitchen counter. Nozomi reached a hand towards Ren to check if he was alright, but as soon as her fingers made contact, his eyes shot open and he flipped her over and pinned her to the ground as if by instinct. She began trembling as Ren stared her in the eyes with the menacing glare of a cold-hearted killer. "R-Ren-kun…" As she uttered his name, he loosened his grip, tears pouring down his cheeks. Nozomi was certain that his father was involved, but she needed to know the exact details. Ren slowly moved away from her and curled up in a fetal position

"What happened, Ren-kun?"

* * *

Ren looked up at her and described what had happened. He had just gotten home about 45 minutes before Nozomi to find the limo parked outside. The door had been opened with the spare key. As he stepped inside, he noticed a man looking at the trophies in the curio cabinet in the entryway. The man was tall, standing at 6'3". He had long and unkempt hair with a shade of red similar to that of blood. He had a trimmed mustache, a pointed goatee, and a scar running across his right cheek. His eyes were amber like flickering flames, and he bore an aura that would make the devil himself cringe with fear. "Father… What are you doing here?" The man tensed up and continued to stare at the curio cabinet. "You have no desire for success, do you, Ren-kun? These awards… They are meaningless. Do you honestly expect me to let a cook support my daughter?" Ren sighed. "If you're worried about my finances, then I'll have you know that even with Hana, I'm managing quite well." His father, Ryu, was seething by now, and he proceed to flip the curio cabinet. The glass casing shattered, and Ren's awards scattered across the floor. "Hana is an heiress to an empire, not just some ordinary child! You will do well to remember that! Now where is she?!" Ryu grabbed Ren and dragged him into the kitchen. He then threw him against the counter and tightened his hands around his neck. "Where is my daughter?! Tell me and I'll let you live! Understand?!" Ren knew it would be best to tell his father where Hana was, but speaking while being strangled wasn't easy. "She's… at the Kousaka sweets shop… She's with her friends…" Ryu released his grip as Ren slipped out of consciousness. He turned around and left, closing the door behind him…

Nozomi could hardly believe what she was hearing. "Your father tried to kill you?" Ren nodded. "I had to tell him where she was. If he killed me, she'd never recover. Separation is a far better alternative than death." Nozomi shook her head and dialed the police. "I'm not letting that go unpunished, Ren-kun." Meanwhile, the devil had reached his destination. He walked inside with the look of an executioner plastered across his face. Mrs. Kousaka walked over to greet him, unaware of his dark intentions…

"Welcome, sir! How can I help you today?"

"Where is my daughter?"

"Excuse me?"

"My name is Ryu Hayashi. Now where is my daughter?"

"She's just upstairs. I-I'll go get her."

"You'd better hurry…"

Mrs. Kousaka looked at the man in front of her and ran to get Hana.

"Um, Hana-chan?"

"Yes, ma'am?"

"Your father is here. I think he's here to take you home."

Hana knew well not to argue with are father. "He didn't threaten you, did he?" Mrs. Kousaka shook her head. Hana let out a sigh of relief as she left. "You're a lucky one. I'll see you guys at school on Monday, then… I hope…" Ryu raised an eyebrow as his daughter walked downstairs. "I expected more of a fight from you, Hana. You've finally learned your place, haven't you? I was afraid your brother's influence would change that." Hana glared at her father. "I've never blamed Ren for hating you. I just don't want you hurting anyone else." Ryu frowned as Hana stepped into the limo. _All I've ever done is provide for you. I've done absolutely nothing to hurt you, Hana._

* * *

Meanwhile, Nozomi and Ren had cleaned up the mess in his apartment and were sitting in the living room with a police officer, while a second one stood outside the apartment to keep watch in case Ryu came back. Ren was still shaken up, and Nozomi had her hand on his knee as he explained what had happened to the officer. After Ren had finished his account, the officer turned to Nozomi.

"Alright, Miss… Tojo-san, correct?"

"Yes, that's correct."

"You said you saw the limo leave as soon as you arrived?"

"That's right."

"Given Ryu Hayashi's history, he probably won't be in jail for long. His wife will just pay the bail."

"She won't… She recognizes that her husband is out of control."

"Would you agree with your friend's statement, Hayashi-san?"

Ren nodded and the cop turned to leave.

"Alright then. I'll make the arrest warrant. He'll probably have a good lawyer, so you'd better be ready, Hayashi-san."

Ren nodded once again.

"Don't worry. I'll be ready."

Ren pulled out his phone and called the Yamamoto household. Haru's father was a lawyer, and he was also one of the best. To make the situation better, after Ren had become an independent, Mr. Yamamoto had told Ren that the first case against his father would be free of charge. Ren smiled grimly. _He knew something like this was bound to happen. I'm glad he left my dad's side when I got kicked out. My dad will have a hard time finding someone better._

"Hello. It's Ren."

"Ah Ren, how are you?"

"Remember what you told me when I started living on my own."

"I remember. What happened?"

"My father let himself into my apartment, broke my curio cabinet, and strangled me."

"Trespassing, vandalism, and assault… Have you spoken with the police yet?"

"Yeah, they're going to arrest him."

"Sounds like a plan. You're father has always been an aggressive man, but assault? That's a new one to me. He'll be in prison for a while."

"I know, but he's gone too far."

"He went too far a long time ago, Ren-kun. I'll take care of this. Just rest up for now. I'll take care of the rest. Bye now!"

"Goodbye, Mr. Yamamoto."

Ren hung up the phone and burst into tears. _Why am I crying now? It's finally coming to an end isn't it? _Nozomi sighed. "He's still your father, even if he was a bad one, Ren. Are you sure about this?" Ren started to tremble again. "I don't know. Maybe it'll redeem him. Maybe it won't. I just… I don't know, Nozomi-chan…" Nozomi pressed him against her chest and gently stroked his hair. He was vulnerable right now, and he needed her. She wasn't just going to leave him. After all, he was her friend… "It's alright, Ren-kun. I'll stay with you." Ren looked up at her as if in disbelief. "You're not going to leave me after what just happened?" Nozomi shook her head. "I'll always be here, Ren-kun." He smiled weakly back at her. "I won't blame you for leaving. I didn't want you to get involved, but if you're willing to stay, I'll accept. However, if you decide to leave later on, I will not be so forgiving." Nozomi nodded with a grin. "Roger!"

* * *

While the situation at the apartment had calmed down, the situation at the estate was a different matter entirely. Ryu had just locked Hana in her bedroom when Aya came barging in. "What is the meaning of this, Ryu?!" Ryu nonchalantly turned around to face his fuming wife. "I'm doing what is best for the family, Aya." Aya took her wedding ring off and threw it on the floor in front of him. "You couldn't care less about this family, Ryu. All that matters is the conglomerate. I'm sorry… I thought I could help you, but it seems that you are beyond redemption." Ryu stepped closer to his to his wife. "You're going to end our marriage over me taking your daughter home?" Aya raised her hand and waved forward two men who were standing behind her. "No, I'm ending it because you almost killed your own son. He's all yours, officers." Ryu's eyes widened. "You called the cops on me?! Right before our biggest meeting, you call the cops on me?! Have you lost your mind?!" Aya glared at her husband as the officers handcuffed him. "Have I lost my mind? I was going to ask you the same question, Ryu."


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's note: Sorry about the wait. Work and writer's block have gotten in the way lately. I just want to say thank you to all the readers that have made it this far. I know that I've gotten a fair amount of hate from a few people for hetero-shipping Nozomi, and I don't blame them entirely. However, with Ren's particularly cold tsundere personality, I feel that the only character that could really help would be her. Also, as a fanfic writer, I personally prefer to consider every character in a show or videogame to be bisexual, unless it is strictly stated that they are heterosexual, gay, lesbian, or other. I want to give special thanks to the NozoEli shippers that have read my fic and put their differences aside to appreciate characters for who they are, as opposed to who they are paired with. Now, without further ado, please enjoy the rest of my story!**

Chapter X

Aya watched as the police escorted her husband away, wondering whether or not this was the end of the Hayashi family. There was a time when Ryu had been friendly, charismatic, and passionate. However, that had all changed ten years ago when his father-in-law left every business that he had owned to Ryu. The Hayashi Finance Group had been turned into a global conglomerate, and Ryu's selfless passion of supporting his family had turned into selfish ambition and a lust for wealth and power. _Perhaps our family died back then. Perhaps I should have let go a long time ago… _Aya picked her wedding ring up off the floor. She stared at it as her eyes began to tear up. All she wanted was a happy family, but instead she was left with a palatial estate, a pair of broken children, an incarcerated husband, and a potential divorce. _I never wanted this Ryu. Was our marriage nothing more than a lie? Was it just a ploy to take my father's empire?_ Wealth and power… That's what the Hayashi family had. That was all they ever had. They had nothing else. No love, joy, or laughter. Their lives were but a hollow existence. Aya screamed as she clenched the wedding ring in her hand. She didn't want the luxury anymore. She wanted her children and her husband to be together like they were in the old days. She wanted to see Ren's smile: not the small, grim kind of smile, though. She wanted to see his grin like an idiot like he once did as a child, back when he would play in the gardens with Haru and Kira, or when he'd play with the Nishikino's little girl. It had been ten years, though, and the wounds in everyone's hearts ran deep. _Please tell me we still have a chance. Dear God, please! _Aya broke down into tears while curled up in a fetal position against the wall in the second-floor hallway. _Is this what Ren felt like? Is this what he dealt with every day? How does he manage? How does he keep going?_

* * *

Ryu sat in the back of the police car, staring out the window. _All I wanted to do was provide for my children. First Ren abandoned me, then Hana, and now Aya… Fine. I'll keep the wealth to myself. _He clenched his cuffed hands tightly. Ren used to be such a happy child. He would always greet his father when he came home. He'd run up to Ryu and leap into his arms. The boy loved his father. Ryu wanted to give that child so much more. He deserved so much more. He was hardworking, loving, and very independent for his age. Ryu couldn't turn down his father-in-law's offer. To expand the business – He could give his son what he deserved: A throne. He'd make his son the heir to a financial empire. His boy would never starve. He would have wealth, power, and happiness. After taking the deal and expanding the business, however, Ren had become distant and cold. Ryu was no longer greeted by a smiling son when he walked into the foyer. His daughter was distant, too. Hana never strayed far from her brother, and Ryu felt as if he was worth nothing to the girl. She clung to Ren, but she would shy away from her own father. When Ren had finally denounced Ryu as a father, Ryu was actually somewhat happy. He saw a chance to spend time with the daughter he had hardly gotten to know, but instead, the rift between father and daughter had only grown wider. Now, Ryu had been abandoned by his own wife. He was fuming, and he wanted to break something, but the cuffs around his hands would not break. _I assure you, all of you, that when I get out of jail, I will break you. I'll break you all…_

* * *

Nozomi and Ren had begun cooking together, and he was starting to calm down. He was surprised that Haru hadn't stopped by yet, but then again, it was only a matter of time before everyone else knew. Ryu Hayashi's arrest was guaranteed to be on the news tonight. "Nozomi, how old are you?" She looked at him with a puzzled expression.

"I just turned 18 during the summer break."

"When's your birthday?"

"June 9th."

"Huh. Mine is June the fourth."

"Why do you ask?"

"I was just wondering. You're still not old enough to be a witness when my dad and I are in the courtroom, but if the case carries on long enough, you may be called upon. Would you be willing to do so if that happened?"

Nozomi nodded. She hoped that it wouldn't come down to that, though. She had intended to come to a civil agreement with Ren's father in the hopes of patching the Hayashis' family situation, but now he was in jail, and he was likely to be less forgiving than usual. She knew Eli would probably call soon, most likely to tell her to get away from Ren while she had the chance, but she felt obligated to help Ren even when he himself had given her a chance to leave. She looked at him. While the act of cooking had calmed him down, she knew very well that he was still extremely vulnerable. She couldn't leave him like this. He trusted her, and she had grown to trust him as well. He was honest to a fault, and as a result he often came off as cold and insensitive, but she knew well that he was anything but. He was a bit cold at first, but when he was with Hana, he always had a warm smile. When he was cooking, he emanated an aura that made those around him feel at ease as they marveled at his culinary talent. He had become rather supportive of Nozomi's school idol work as well, having converted many of µ's videos into audio format and put them on his MP3 player, though he wouldn't openly admit to doing so. He was quiet and occasionally a bit overprotective, but also honest and loving. The only reason he had for his cold demeanor was that he was afraid of losing those he cared about. He was clearly devastated from losing Hana, though perhaps with his father behind bars, Ren wouldn't be losing her after all.

"Ren-kun?"

"Yes?"

"How do you want this to end? Have you considered even trying to help your father make amends?"

Ren cocked his head back and laughed grimly.

"How naïve can you be, Nozomi-chan? My 'father' died a long time ago. All that remains is an empty shell. People change rapidly when they're young, but eventually, only extreme trauma can cause further change."

"Is being turned in by one's own family not traumatic enough?"

"You think he'd forgive us or something? If anything, he'll only hate us even more."

"You're quite the pessimist, Ren-kun."

"Actually, I'm a realist. I can't pursue my dreams like you can. I don't have a myriad of fans clamoring for my autograph. I don't have classmates willing to help me out in my times of need. You and the members of µ's have always been fortunate. You've always had supporters. I, however, have been in situations in which everyone around me was an enemy. I've always understood the meaning of loneliness, Nozomi-chan. I've always understood the true meaning of pain…"

Nozomi had to admit that Ren was right to an extent, but she didn't want him to just give up on his family. Ren may have been alone at one point, but that was no longer the case. For the first time ever, the scales of fate were tipped in his favor. He had her, Haru, his mother and sister, and even Mr. Takeo Yamamoto, one of the best lawyers in Tokyo, standing at the ready. Why was he always like this? Did he just not care? As if moving on its own, her arm reached out and smacked him. It wasn't like Nozomi to hit someone, but for Ren to just give up… it was beyond pathetic. To her surprise, however, he didn't flinch. He didn't flare up. He didn't attempt to pin her down or strike back. He just stood there. "I can't face my father, Nozomi… I'm sorry…" The tears began to flow again. Ren remembered well what his father used to be like: kind, loving, and passionate. He remembered the time when Ryu would take him for rides on a motorcycle and the wind brushed against their faces. He remembered the time when his parents took him to Paris at the age of six, a trip that sparked his culinary interest.

"I miss the person he used to be. I miss the time when he would come home every day instead of once a month."

"You don't think he could be that way again?"

"No. That man doesn't exist anymore."

"Maybe I should go see for myself."

"If you decide to do that, please be careful."

"I will be. I promise."

"I doubt you'll have any success."

"You only fail because you don't try."

"I don't try because I know it's a losing battle. I accept the inevitable for what it is."

"I don't think you can always tell whether or not something is inevitable in the first place, Ren-kun…"

The two finished cooking and ate dinner in silence. After everything was cleaned up, Nozomi took her leave of Ren. She was nervous of what would happen when she went back to school. She was worried about what Eli would say. Most of all, however, she was worried about what Ren would face when he went back to school. Would people spread rumors? Would they stare at him uneasily as he walked down the hallway? Would they try to pity him with pointless sentiments? She and Ren both knew that the hell was only getting started…


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter XI

The weekend had come to a close as Ren pulled himself out of bed. He was on the phone with Haru late during the previous night. After showering, he opened his wardrobe. The white suit that was his school uniform was hanging in front of him. He took a deep breath. As soon as he put this on, he would venture into hell itself. He put it on slowly and reluctantly. By now, almost everyone in Tokyo knew of his father's arrest. They knew that Ren had been strangled. They knew that the family was broken. Ren walked into the kitchen. _I'm not hungry._ For the first time ever, Ren skipped his breakfast. He slung his bag over his shoulder and walked to school. He didn't ride his bike. He couldn't. He felt as if all the strength in his body had been leeched away. The trip wasn't too long, though, and he approached the campus.

He looked around him.

Students were watching him…

Wondering what he would do…

_Would he hit someone?_

_Would he glare back at us?_

_Would he say anything?_

_Would he turn around and go home?_

_Would he ignore us?_

Ren could almost "see" the questions written across their faces. He silently trudged into class, trying to ignore the gawking of his classmates.

His hands began to tremble as he sat into his desk.

Every eye in the class was on him.

He body began to go numb.

Tsubasa and Haru had worried expressions on their faces.

His ears were ringing.

Haru and Tsubasa were running in to catch him.

The world went black…

* * *

Ren slowly opened his eyes.

He was in the school infirmary with Haru sitting by his bedside.

_Not even five minutes and I lose it… Maybe I should just go home…_

Ren sat up and Haru took his hand.

"Slow down, Ren. Just take it easy."

"I wish I could, Haru. Did you and Tsubasa take me here?"

"Yeah. She's… pretty stressed out as well."

"Why?"

"She wanted to say something at the pep rally today, but it got cancelled."

"That's not my problem."

"Actually… it sort of is…"

The morning announcement came on. As always, it was made by, yours truly, Kira Tsubasa.

"Good morning UTX."

_Her voice doesn't seem very cheerful today._

"Due to recent events, the school pep rally today has been cancelled."

_I can't imagine what those events would be…_

"However, I have something I need to tell you… Something to confess…"

_What?_

"I'm not who you think I am."

Ren stood up. _She couldn't be… She couldn't possibly be doing this…_

Haru didn't object to Ren leaving the room. This was the moment of truth… and redemption.

"Many of you remember the big typhoon that hit two years ago."

_Tsubasa-san…_

"Many of you remember that I was very close to a certain friend of mine."

A cold sweat began to take hold of Ren.

"Few of you would remember the promise I made to him."

_Why are you doing this?_

"On the day of that typhoon, I was practicing for the Love Live."

Ren began to walk towards the comm room.

"At the same time, he had lost everything he had and was looking for shelter."

His pace quickened.

"He called me four times."

He was sweating more profusely now.

"I ignored him when I should have known he needed help more than ever."

He started to run.

"I left him to die because my ambition was more important."

The classrooms fell silent.

"He was bleeding out when another friend found him by sheer chance."

The third years understood now… They understood why Ren had slapped her in the hallway two years ago…

"I'm sorry…"

Her voice cracked with the last statement as she began to cry.

"Ren-kun. I'm sorry… I'm so sorry!"

She was beginning to break down.

"Ren-kun…"

The entire school was listening.

"I… back then…"

Her voice was beginning to choke up.

"No… even still… I…"

She was crying over the intercom… sobbing…

"I…"

"I lo-…"

"I lov-…"

"I love…"

"I LOVE YOU!"

Ren froze in his tracks outside the comm room. The entire school was silent, its state of shock seeming almost palpable. This was the girl they idolized. This was who she truly was…

Kira switched off the intercom and buried her face in her hands.

She had done it.

She had finally done it.

Whether Ren forgave her or not wouldn't matter.

The school wouldn't be able to look at her the same way.

She stood up slowly.

Her eyes were puffy and red.

Her makeup was ruined.

_He probably still hates me… but at least they'll stare at me a bit more than him… At least he won't have to be so stressed…_

She didn't hear the door open. She didn't hear the footsteps approach her… but she recognized the warm, gentle touch…

Ren stroked her hair gently as she looked up at him in bewilderment.

"Hayashi-san?"

"It's over… Kira-chan. I forgive you."

Kira shot up and leapt into Ren's arms. It had been two agonizing years since he last held her like this. She had been his closest friend. They'd laugh together, play together, study together, and even cry together. They were practically attached at the hip before she messed things up. She looked up at him. "We can really be friends again?" He nodded, but his expression was somewhat grim. "I'm still mad at you, Kira-chan. Do you really love me?" She nodded as her face turned a light shade of red. Ren sighed. "Then remember the one thing you cannot have from me." He place his right hand under her chin and pressed his lips up against her own. It was cruelest way he could think of to reject her, but she didn't resist. Kira wrapped her arms around his neck, trying to maintain the kiss for as long as possible. She knew what he was doing. He was releasing the last remnants of his resentment and anger towards her into that kiss. It was cruel and painful, yet she held on, embracing the warm, soft sensation and the sweet, gentle taste of his lips. As he kissed her, his hands were gripping her hips tightly, clenched with rage to the point he thought his nails would pierce her skin beneath her clothing. As the kiss continued, though, as the last bits of anger flowed out, he began to loosen his grip. As they broke away from the kiss, Ren noticed that Kira was smiling.

"You don't hate me for that?"

"No, because I know it was necessary for you to forgive me."

"Yeah. I guess it was. We can be friends again, Kira-chan… but nothing more."

"I understand. Thank you, Ren-kun."

Ren and Kira walked back to class together. The room was completely silent as they walked in, but the question in the faces of the students was clear: _How did Ren respond to her confession?_ Haru looked at his two closest friends with a wry smile. "Hey Ren. Mind telling us what happened in the comm room?" Ren and Kira turned red and responded simultaneously. "You saw that?!" Haru nodded. "I'm guessing Ren accepted your confession, right? Why else would you two be kissing?" Everyone's jaws seemed to hit the floor. _Kissing?! _Kira sighed with a smile. "Actually, Ren was rejecting me. He was simply reminding me of what I've lost." As Ren nodded, Haru raised an eyebrow. "That's beyond cruel, Ren…" Kira shook her head. "I deserved it, so it's fine. Is that enough for the interview, Haru?" Haru slumped back with a grin. "It's fine with me, but now you can answer everyone else's questions." Ren and Kira looked at the rest of their classmates, and notices that a few of them had pulled out blank notebooks and writing utensils, ready for a complete interview.

_Crap…_

* * *

The day came to a close, and club activities had also adjourned. Ren, Kira, and Haru walked out together. Haru was holding a bouquet of flowers as he turned to his friends. I'm going to pay my mother a visit, so you'll have to go home without me." Ren nodded. "Of course, Haru. Give her my regards." Haru nodded as he headed off to the cemetery. After he left, Kira turned towards Ren.

"It's his mom's birthday, isn't it?"

"Yeah. It's also the day she died. Haru and I grew pretty close that winter."

"Why was that?"

"We had both experienced pain. If he and I have anything in common, it's that we both had to grow up faster than our peers."

Kira nodded. Haru sometimes acted like a kid, but he was actually quite mature for his age.

"Well, we'd better get going, Ren. We'll have to take a different route to get to my place, but yours is close by, so it shouldn't be a problem."

"Yeah. I haven't been there for a while, though. Any landmarks in that direction?"

"We'll walk past Otonokizaka High School if that counts as a landmark."

"Okay. Maybe I'll bump into Nozomi-chan on the way."

"Ren-kun…"

"Yes?"

"Do you… Do you like Tojo-san?"

Ren began to blush as his heart started racing. He took a deep breath to calm himself down.

"I… I don't know."

"You're afraid she'll leave you, right?"

"Yeah…"

Kira grinned impishly back at Ren.

"You should be more honest with yourself, Ren-kun."

"Are you saying I should ask her out?"

"You obviously like her."

"I just told you I didn't know."

"So you rejected me with no one else in mind? Maybe I should get a bit more aggressive, then."

Kira clung on to Ren's arm teasingly… right as Nozomi and Eli were walking by…

Nozomi's heart felt as if it were on fire. _Why do I feel like this? When did Ren and Tsubasa-san start getting along? _Her eyes began to water up as jealousy took over her mind. She looked at Ren. "After everything I've done for you, Ren, this is how you repay me? When did you two start getting along?" Ren looked back at her as his heart began to panic. "She just admitted everything in front of her entire school. How could I not forgive her? Listen, Nozomi, she and I are just friends, nothing more." Nozomi just glared at him. "Then why was she clinging to you like that?" The cold sweat from the morning came back. "She was just messing around."

Nozomi began to walk away.

"Nozomi, please… don't leave me like this…"

She took a deep breath. She had overreacted.

"I'm sorry Ren. Should we go home together?"

Ren reached out and wiped off her tears.

"Yeah. Kira-chan's house is on the way, so we'll stop their first. Is that alright?"

Nozomi nodded and the group walked home. However, she was beginning to feel conflicted.

_Why did I react that way?_

_Ren and I are just friends. _

_Why do I feel jealous?_

_Why?_

_Why am I feeling this way?_


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter XII

After dropping off Kira-chan, Ren and Nozomi walked towards their apartment complex. Eli had left the group as well, saying that she had left something at school, but in reality, she wanted to touch base with Haru. With the arrest of Ryu Hayashi and what seemed to be jealousy on Nozomi's end, Eli was growing more concerned than ever. She pulled out her cell phone and dialed Haru's number.

"Hello?"

"Haru-kun, we need to talk."

"Oh, Eli-chan. Sorry. You caught me off guard. What's up?"

Like Ren and Nozomi, Haru and Eli had become close enough (barely) to refer to each other without using honorifics. They often met together in person, and Eli once had to explain to Arisa that she and Haru were not a couple and that she had absolutely no interest in dating him whatsoever.

"I think you know what I want to talk to you about, Haru…"

"Okay… There's a cemetery about two blocks west of my house. Meet me there."

"A cemetery?"

"It's my mother's birthday."

"I'm sorry."

"I'm fine. She wouldn't want me moping around for the rest of my life, so I keep a smile on whenever I can. I'll see you when you arrive, okay?"

"Alright. I'll see you then."

*click*

Eli had only once been to Haru's house, and she was more than a bit nervous when she did so. Fortunately, the trip was recent, and she found the nearby cemetery without a problem. She found him fairly quickly, and it appeared that there was no one else at the graveyard. Haru had lit the candles on the gravestone and provided fresh flowers. As Eli approached him, she noticed that his eye sockets were red and puffy. Nevertheless, he looked at her with a small smile, as if to mask his grief.

"Are you alright, Haru-kun?"

"I'm fine."

"Liar. You've been crying."

"My mother died six years ago when I was 12 years old. I had a lot of good memories of her."

"How did she die?"

"I'd rather not dwell on the past. Let's talk about the current situation."

"Alright, then. What happened with Tsubasa-san, exactly?"

"You remember when I told you about the promise she broke?"

"I remember."

"Well, she just told the entire school over the intercom today, and on top of that, she also confessed her feelings to Ren."

"She confessed? I thought she hated him."

"She never hated him. She's been in love with him the entire time."

"So, how did he respond?"

"He rejected her in the harshest way possible."

"Harsh?"

"He kissed her, letting her know what she'll never get from him: love."

"That's not exactly what I would consider forgivable…"

"Ren has harsh methods, but his intentions have always been in the right place. He's not a bad person, Eli-chan."

"I just don't want him hurting my friend."

"Sometimes you have to hurt someone in order to help them, but I understand your concern."

"What do you see as the ideal conclusion to all this?"

"The Hayashi family gets back together, and Ren and Nozomi become a couple."

"You have no intention on asking me out?"

"You have no intention on saying yes."

"Good. You know where we stand, but I figured you had a crush on me."

"I find you attractive, yes. You're smart, beautiful, talented, and responsible. You're everything a guy like me could ever want."

"So what's holding you back?"

"I don't feel a proper connection at the moment. We fit together platonically, but not romantically."

"I guess you're less of an idiot than I originally thought."

"Oh my. Is that a compliment?"

"Shut up. Anyway, Tsubasa-san seems to be a bit clingy to Ren. I don't think she's given up on him."

"I take it you ran into her and Ren walking home, then."

"Yeah, and my friend… I think she might be jealous…"

"Ren has no interest in dating Kira-chan. He seems to be fighting back feelings for Tojo-san, though, so your friend should be fine. Any other concerns?"

"Of course. What's the situation with his family?"

"My dad's acting as Ren's attorney. As far as I know his family is suffering from a major breakdown."

"And Nozomi's getting involved…"

Haru nodded.

"Ren gave her a choice to step out, but she decided to stay."

Eli clenched her fists.

"I want her to get away from him! If she gets hurt, I'll never forgive myself!"

Haru looked back at her with a serious expression.

"Why would you have to forgive yourself? What would you have to blame yourself for?"

Eli didn't have an answer.

"Haru-kun… what should I do?"

He approached her and put his hands on her shoulders.

"She made her decision. Now you need to support that decision."

"She could get hurt…"

"Ren's father is sitting behind bars at the police station. He won't hurt her."

"And if she and Ren get together, don't you think Tsubasa will try something?"

"Kira-chan is relentless now because he's still single, but once she's been completely beaten, she accepts her fate. She's ambitious, but she always plays by the rules."

"And you're absolutely certain that Ren likes Nozomi?"

"I know people, Eli-chan. She's very close to breaching the walls around his heart. She just needs to make her final assault and he'll give in to her."

"Fine… I'll support her decision."

"Sounds good. Let's go. My dad is probably getting dinner started, and your little sister is probably wondering why you're late."

"Yeah, I guess so. I'll see you later, Haru-kun."

"Bye bye, Eli-chan."

* * *

Meanwhile, as Eli and Haru were taking there leave of each other, Ren and Nozomi had stopped in a nearby park for a quick rest. As Nozomi sat back on the park bench, Ren walked over with two cans of soda. As they sat down together savoring there drinks, Ren noticed a familiar object sticking out of Nozomi's bag. He had almost forgotten that she had his journal.

"How much have you read, Tojo-san?"

"I finished it during my lunch break today."

"Can I have it back then?"

"No, you can't."

"Why not?"

"I want you to visit him as soon as we're done here."

Ren sighed. He couldn't hold this off forever.

"Fine. I take it that the journal is part of your back up plan, then."

"Yeah, but if you keep your temper in check, we might not need it."

Ren smiled and gently grabbed her hand as if by instinct.

"Alright. I'll go, but stay with me okay?"

Nozomi nodded and looked at her right hand, slowly intertwining her fingers with his. However, as if just realizing what they had done, she and Ren instantly began to blush and recoiled their hands. Ren's heart was beating faster than usual. _Calm down. She's just a good friend. She's nothing more than that. I don't want her to be anything more. She's cute, yes. She has a good personality, yes, but I absolutely don't want to go out with her._ At the same time, Nozomi's heart was also panicking. _Take a deep breath. Does he have a good personality? Yes, but he also has a hot temper. Does he have a hot body? Yes, but he could also hurt someone with muscles like that. Would he actually hurt someone? Probably not, but I don't want to date him. Right? Right?_ The two of them gulped down their soda as if it were an alcoholic beverage that would help them forget about what they had just done. Fortunately, the placebo effect of guzzling down the soda seemed to be enough. Ren stood up and turned to Nozomi.

"All right, then. Let's visit my father."

* * *

Ryu sat up from his bed the moment he heard the voices coming from the front end of the police station. _Visitors? Why? I'm the only one being held here. _A cop escorted two people towards Ryu's cell. Ryu recognized his son, of course, but he had no idea who the girl was. She was a pretty young thing, standing at about average height for a Japanese girl, with long purple hair tied into two long ponytails, and a pair of turquoise eyes that bore a rather soothing quality to them. Ryu looked up at Ren with a scowl.

"I hope you're not expecting a blessing from me, Ren-kun."

"She's not my girlfriend."

Despite his statement, Ren was holding the girl's hand tightly.

"Then what is this about?"

"Do you know why I hate you?"

"I've been trying to figure that out for a while. I gave you everything."

"You gave me a big empty house and a little sister that wouldn't stop crying because her parents were never around."

"Excuse me?"

"You don't get it at all. All Hana and I ever wanted was for you to actually spend time with us. Instead, though, you were traveling overseas for months at a time, and I had to raise Hana by myself."

"_You _raised her?"

"Yes. I taught how to walk _and_ how to talk, and the first word she ever said was 'Onii.'"

Ryu recoiled at the last statement. His daughter was more attached to Ren than her own father.

"Are you saying that I made her suffer?"

"You made us both suffer."

Ren handed his father the diary.

"The officers said I could give it to you. Now at least you'll have something to do..."

"You have a rather disrespectful way of addressing your father, Ren-kun."

"I don't know what happened to my father."

"He's standing right in front of you."

Ren attempted to lunge forward as Nozomi and the officer struggled to hold him back.

"MY FATHER CARED ABOUT HIS FAMILY! NOW GIVE HIM BACK, YOU SON OF A BITCH!

Ryu didn't retaliate. He saw the tears flowing down his son's cheeks. He saw the truth… the consequence of his own neglect. For ten years, he had obsessed over the conglomerate and its foreign clients. He had refused to send representatives overseas, and made every major deal in person. His yearly income was last recorded by a survey at 4.5 billion yen a year, but that survey was made 10 years ago. Now, his family made 625 billion yen a year, and the conglomerate was still growing. However, all that wealth and prosperity had come at a tremendous cost. Ryu had unwittingly made his children suffer… After Ren had been dragged out of the station, he opened up the diary.

_Mom and Dad have stopped spending time with me, and now they're going overseas. Dad says he'll get me something nice when he comes back. I hope they don't take too long. I don't want to be alone._

_Hana started walking on her own, and she's started to follow me around. What should I expect? She doesn't have anyone else besides the butlers and the maids. I should start teaching her how to talk soon._

_Life has been stagnant for about three years now. I haven't written in here for a while, but I thought I'd start back up again. Hana stopped crying. She seems to have accepted the fact that Mom and Dad are more concerned about the business than her. It took me about two years before I stopped crying, but I still miss the good old days. I still have that Parisian cookbook from our trip to France. Maybe I'll try making dinner for them when they come home._

_Mother and Father just came home today. He bought me a brand new cookbook and he bought Hana a stuffed pony. Both of the gifts were rare and expensive items but it doesn't really matter… They're just shallow expressions of pretentious love… Hana's first word two years ago was not "mother" or "father." No, it was "Onii," because I'm the only one who's ever been here for her. She and I are growing up alone with a bunch of maids and butlers, and all our parents do is travel across the globe securing deals and attending meetings… I'm tired of it… so tired of it…_

The pages went on as Ren's love for his parents turned into hatred, as Hana began to cry less and less. Tears began to pour down Ryu's cheeks. He couldn't look Ren in the eye anymore. He didn't have the right to do so. _I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…_


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter XIII

Aya Hayashi was sitting down for dinner with Hana when the phone rang. She called out to the nearest butler. "Will you check who it is?" The butler bowed and went to phone. He returned quickly with a grim expression on his face. "It's from the police station, milady. It is very likely to be a call from your husband. Would you like to pick it up?" Aya nodded and answered the call.

"Hello? Who is this?"

"It's me, darling."

"Well then, Ryu. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Ren came over."

"And?"

"I read his diary…"

Ryu's voice began to crack. Aya quickly realized that he was starting to cry.

"You finally understand, then. I'll pay the bail."

"I'm not coming home."

"Ryu…"

"I can't look at them! I can't face my children!"

"Ryu, please!"

"I made them suffer… I made them cry… for 10 years… TEN DAMN YEARS! THEY HAVE NO REASON TO FORGIVE ME!"

"Then where will you go?"

"I'll get an apartment. Go ahead and pay the bail, but don't expect me to feel any better."

*click*

_You're stubborn as always, Ryu._

* * *

Ren got back to his apartment, with Nozomi following behind him. He had screwed up again. Every time he tried to talk to his father was the same. He would always lose his temper. He wasn't angry at his father this time, though. He was angry at himself. Rage was boiling up inside his heart as his entire body seemed to quiver. Everything was ruined. His family was officially dead. Just as his social life had taken a turn for the better, he had dived back into the fires of hell. He turned around to see Nozomi standing in the doorway. "Just get out. Please." She shook her head and slowly walked towards him. He stepped backwards, picked up a plate from the sink, and threw at her. It was headed straight towards her head, but instead she dodged it, lunged forward, and wrapped her arms around him. Ren looked down at her in shock. "Why? Why do you keep following me? Why do you care so much?" She looked back up at him with reddened cheeks. She couldn't lie to herself anymore. She had seen both sides of him, good and bad. She had grown jealous earlier that afternoon, when Tsubasa clung playfully to his sleeve. She had grown attached to his sister, who referred to her as "Onee-chan." She had helped Ren out, and he always paid her back in kind. He would make her new meals, teach her new recipes. He even took her out shopping from time to time. She'd seem him smile, laugh, cry, and get angry, and she wanted to see even more.

"Ren-kun. I…"

She couldn't say it. It wasn't just that the situation was bad. She just couldn't say it.

"…I'm your friend."

A small, but grim smile crept across his face as he slowly returned the embrace.

"I know. That's why I want you to step out. You don't need to get hurt."

"You know I won't do that, Ren-kun."

This girl was relentless, but that was what Ren loved most about her. Somehow, she managed to balance out her friends, her studies, the Love Live, and him. She never gave up. Once she started something, it was a one way trip to the top. This time, however, the top seemed unreachable. He slowly stroked her hair and held her close to him. He almost forgot how much shorter she was than him, since he was the one who was last burying his face in the other one's chest. She clocked in at 159 cm (5 feet 2.5 inches) whereas Ren stood up at 178 cm (5 feet 10 inches). She could probably hear his heartbeat since the top of her head reached his collar at best. It was racing. The damage to the lock around his heart had been extreme over the last three days. He thought he had thrown the key out, but it didn't matter anymore. She was going to break through, no matter how hard he tried to resist. As he began to release the embrace, his phone started ringing.

"Hello?"

"Ren, it's your mother."

"And?"

"I don't know what you said to your father, but whatever you said knocked some sense into him… partially."

"Partially?"

"He doesn't want to face you anymore because he's racked with guilt."

"I want you to retract your accusation, albeit true, and then come with me to bail him out of jail. I think you two need some quality time together."

"After I called him a son of a bitch?"

"You didn't…"

"I'm afraid I did…"

"You're just like him, you know. You have good intentions when you get mad at someone, but you always express yourselves the wrong way."

"Yeah, I guess so. So when are we doing this?"

"When are you free?"

"Thursday. I don't have work, and I don't have judo practice after school. Is there anything Nozomi should do?"

"Besides make sure you don't cop out, nothing really."

"She's given me all the strength I need for now. I won't cop out. I'll meet you at the police station on Thursday. I'll talk to later, Mom."

"I'll see you then, Ren-kun."

Ren hung up with a small smile.

_I guess I didn't ruin things after all…_

* * *

Tuesday and Wednesday went by quickly. Ren had spoken with Mr. Yamamoto and retracted the charges against his father, though it took a bit of explaining. If things fell into place properly, he'd probably be moving out of his apartment, too. As he left school, he noticed a familiar limo parked outside. This time, however, it no longer bore the ominous aura that it had when it was last seen outside his apartment. His mother stepped outside to greet him. She was wearing her usual business attire: A knee length skirt, stockings, high heels, a button-down blouse, and a buttoned up jacket. Her hair was tied up in a French braid, and her eyes glimmered behind her glasses just as Ren's did. Standing next to her was another familiar figure, albeit smaller: Hana. She was still in her uniform, but her expression seemed to sparkle in a way Ren had never seen. _This is it. We're finally getting back together._

Meanwhile, Ryu couldn't believe what was going on. _Ren retracted the charges? Why would he do this? _He clutched the diary in his hands tightly, trying to stabilize his grip, but he couldn't help but tremble. _Ren hates me, doesn't he? He's never been quick to forgive, so why is he doing this? Is it to torture me? Is it to make me feel guilty for walking away unpunished? Why? WHY?! _With his internal scream, he looked up to see three people standing outside of his cell, all with soft smiles across their faces. Aya was smiling. Hana was smiling. Ren… Ren was smiling, too. Something told Ryu that Ren wasn't mocking him, either. It was a sincere, loving smile, one that Ren hadn't made in 10 years. Ryu remembered the smile well. He had just come back from his first overseas trip. A small boy sat on the front porch in front of the two massive double doors of the estate. The boy leapt into his father's embrace with a small, teary-eyed smile. As the cell doors opened, it was Ryu's turn to leap. Ren returned the embrace with tears flowing down his cheeks.

"Father…"

"Ren-kun, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything."

"Then show me. Stay home for once. Please."

"I'll start hiring company representatives to go in my place. I… I promise."

"Good. Does this mean I can come home?"

"Of course it does. We'll start moving this weekend. You'll be getting something else back, as well."

"What's that?"

"You get to be my heir again."

"Fun… Thanks dad. I accept."

* * *

After returning to his family, Ren moved out of his apartment over the weekend. He stood in front of his family's house. It wasn't a typical estate for a Japanese family. Instead of having Japanese-style architecture, it was a palatial mansion built to resemble the estate of Mentmore Towers in England. _I should invite Nozomi over sometime when she's not busy._ He frowned with the last thought that came through his head. He was already starting to miss her. Worse yet, she only had about two weeks before the preliminary finals of the Love Live. He walked inside as ten butlers and ten maids greeted him for the first time in two years.

"WELCOME HOME, YOUNG MASTER!"

On a second thought, Ren could get used to this…


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter XIV

Nozomi woke up from her bed on a cold Sunday morning. She opened the drawer next to her bed and pulled out a sheet of paper with lyrics on it: "Ruteshi Kisuki Shiteru". She had suggested getting µ's to perform love song, but ended up being unable to muster the courage to go through with the suggestion. With the new distance between her and Ren, she couldn't quite admit her feelings for him, either. She and her friends came up with a new song, and that was all that mattered. She considered ripping up the paper in front of her. _Maybe I should ask the cards for their opinion first. _She pulled out her deck and shuffled it. She drew the Fool first. _Let me guess. The Lovers is next. _Sure enough, the second card she drew was exactly as she suspected. _And now for the Ten of Cups. _She drew the next card, and while it was a Ten of something, it wasn't a Ten of Cups. She looked at the card in front of her: the Ten of Swords. The Ten of Swords represented willing surrender and defeat. In her current predicament, this could mean one of two things. The first thing it could mean would be for her to give up on Ren, but then again that would mean that the usual Ten of Cups (marriage or resolution) was meaningless. On the other hand, it could be telling her to give in to her feelings for Ren and fall hopelessly in love with him. She reorganized her deck, and put in back in the drawer along with the unused sheet of lyrics. She needed an answer, but the cards wouldn't give it to her. She gave Ren a call. It didn't take long for him to pick up.

"Nozomi? Why are you calling so early?"

"I wanted to meet up today."

"I just got back with my family for the first time in two years. How about you come over to my place, instead?"

"Would that be alright?"

"I'm certain of it. Besides, I think I should properly introduce you to my father."

"You make it sound like we're a couple."

"We're a couple of good friends, aren't we?"

"I meant that it sounds like we're dating."

"I know what you meant. I was just teasing you."

"I never thought you teased people."

"I haven't been in a good enough mood to tease people for two years."

"So, how are things with your dad?"

"We're moving in the right direction, but it's still going to take some time. We had a bit of bonding last night after I moved back in."

"Bonding?"

"We drank whiskey together."

"You're only eighteen years old…"

"It's fine as long as it's supervised, though I definitely have a headache."

"How much did you drink?"

"Five glasses. No ice. According to my dad, I get really smug when I'm drunk."

"He doesn't sound like a good supervisor, Ren."

"He was testing to see how much I could handle, so I got to drink a little more than usual."

Nozomi sighed. Ren was clearly enjoying his return to luxury.

"It sounds like I might need to knock some sense into you. When can I come over?"

"I'll pick you up right now. Make sure you're ready when I get over there."

*click*

* * *

Nozomi washed up as quickly as she could and put on a blue dress, black stockings, a light grey peacoat, and a white beret. She might not be going as a girlfriend, but given the social status of the Hayashi family, she figured she should wear something nice. As she stepped outside of her apartment, she saw a familiar limousine parked outside. A butler stepped outside of the vehicle and opened the passenger door. Nozomi approached the vehicle cautiously, and the butler bowed as she approached. Stepping inside, she noticed Ren. He was wearing a plain white oxford, a pair of blue jeans, black dress shoes, a black leather jacket, and his usual rimless glasses. He looked at her with small smile on his face.

"You don't have to dress up so much, Nozomi. We're not going to a gala or anything like that."

"I just thought I'd look nice for your family."

Ren scooted next to her and put his arm around her shoulder, leaning back in a casual manner as he did so.

"You said so yourself, Nozomi. We're not a couple. Besides, you already passed my mother's evaluation. My father is much less discerning."

"If we're not a couple, then why is your arm around me?"

Ren recoiled his arm, his cheeks burning red.

"S-sorry. I just kind of miss having you next door. I guess I got a little carried away."

Nozomi giggled and leaned her head against his shoulder.

"It's fine. I was starting to miss the smell of your cooking."

"Is that all I am to you?"

"Pretty much…"

* * *

After passing a few more playful jabs back and forth, Nozomi and Ren reached their destination. Upon stepping outside, Nozomi's jaw dropped. Ren's "house" was massive. It would be more accurate to call it a "mansion" or perhaps even a "palace." The estate was surrounded by tall trees and a massive stone fence: They had perfect privacy in the middle of Tokyo. Nozomi had been impressed by the wealth of the Nishikino's, but the Hayashi family took affluence to an entirely new level. The house was built in a Jacobethan (a mixture of Elizabethan and Jacobean architecture) style, with stone walls and an elegant promenade. Ren led her up to the entrance as two maids opened the large wooden double doors of the house. The main entrance was astounding, with two large staircases to the second floor on either side of a hallway that ran between them.

"This is… quite the place you have here, Ren-kun."

"It was built by my grandfather on my mother's side, Satoshi Nakashima. He studied in England and fell in love with an estate known as Mentmore towers. This house is a near perfect replica of the English country house in Buckinghamshire."

"Near perfect?"

"Correct. Due to the sea level in Tokyo, we have an outdoor storehouse instead of a cellar. We also have an additional wing in the back with a dojo, a weight room, and an indoor bath. Last but not least, we are in the middle of Tokyo, so the grounds outside of the house are considerably less expansive compared to the rolling meadows of the Mentmore estate. Still, we make up for our drawbacks with an ornate garden, and of course, modern amenities."

"How old is this place?"

"My grandfather built it about fifty years ago, I think."

"Wow…"

"Anyway, let's introduce you to my father."

As if on cue, Ryu walked into the main foyer to provide a proper greeting. Nozomi looked at the man in front of her. He was even taller than Ren, and he towered over Nozomi. His hair was blood red and he had a thin mustache and a pointed goatee that resembled the kind in western depictions of the devil. His eyes bore an almost orange hue to them, flickering like flames. His face had a chiseled appearance to it, and it seemed that perhaps he wasn't entirely Japanese. However, Nozomi couldn't quite pinpoint any specific nationality. Ryu looked her up and down with a stern, cold expression on his face, but it soon softened into a small smile.

"This must be the young lady that turned me in. Am I correct?"

Nozomi nodded.

"Sorry about that, sir."

"Don't be sorry, miss. I wouldn't be standing with my son in the same room if you hadn't done what you needed to do. You have my thanks, miss… um…"

"Tojo… Nozomi Tojo…"

Nozomi bowed politely.

"Don't be so shy, Miss Tojo. Let's have a seat in the study, shall we?"

Ren and Nozomi nodded as they made their way to the study. Nozomi couldn't quite get her mind off of Ryu's foreign appearance.

"Ren-kun. You're Japanese, aren't you?"

"You're noticing this now? My father is half-German. He even has a middle name."

Ryu turned his head back to Ren.

"Could you not bring that up please?"

Ren sneered.

"Sorry about that, Friedrich."

Ryu rolled his eyes.

"Miss Tojo, I hope you're not like that. He's even worse when he gets drunk."

"So I've heard. I guess this explains why you're so tall, though."

"Indeed. Aya is about 168 centimeters tall, which is above average for a Japanese girl. Meanwhile, I stand at 191 centimeters. Ren-kun, how tall are you?"

"I'm 178 centimeters tall, father."

Ryu smiled as he sat down in an arm chair in the middle of study. Ren and Nozomi sat across from him on a loveseat.

"So, Miss Tojo. Would you like a glass of whiskey?"

"No thanks, sir."

"That's Mr. Hayashi for you. 'Sir' is far too formal."

"Of course, Mr. Hayashi."

"So, you and my son are _not_ a couple?"

"N-no! We're just friends!"

Ryu sighed and turned to look at Ren.

"You have a lovely little thing sitting right next to you, and you don't have any romantic interest whatsoever?"

"W-well, it's not that I'm n-not interested, i-it's just that…"

"So you _are_ interested."

Ren took a deep breath.

"Maybe…"

Nozomi started blushing at his answer. _Does this mean he likes me? How do I respond to that?_ Ryu looked back at her as if reading her thoughts. A wry smile formed across his face.

"Well, then. I'll leave you two alone for the time being. I need to go over a few things with Aya."

He walked out of the room, leaving Ren and Nozomi together… alone.

"So… um, Ren-kun. Are you going to see me at the preliminary finals?"

Ren frowned. He had just gotten bad news about that from Haru.

"The date for our regional judo tournament got moved. I had planned on seeing you, but… I can't do that anymore."

Nozomi sighed. There had been no point in writing her love song in the first place.

"Isn't Toudou-san on your team?"

"She has permission to miss out on the tournament. The change was completely unexpected."

"Well… good luck on that… Enjoy the rest of the year."

She stood up to leave. It was pointless. Every time she tried to get close to him she'd get pushed away. As she began to walk away, however, Ren grabbed her arm and pulled her into an embrace.

"I meant what I said earlier, Nozomi. I… I like you…"

As soon as he said that, she broke the embrace.

"Give me some time, Ren. I'll have an answer by New Year's day."

With that she left… and Ren was alone once again…


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter XV

Nozomi made her way home in time for lunch, but her appetite was gone. _I… I like you… _Ren's words reverberated in her head over and over again. Why couldn't she just be honest with herself like she usually was? Why didn't she just say "yes" and leap into his arms? Here she was, sitting at her kotatsu with her head buried in her hands, while Ren was giving her the chance of a lifetime. If she dated him, what would happen next? If they managed to maintain their relationship long enough, she would probably end up marrying into a life of both wealth and power. Did she want the money? No. Did she want to be with Ren? There was no doubt, but after seeing him with a genuine smile as she sat beside him in the limousine, and after seeing the sheer opulence from whence he came, he seemed like an entirely different person. She had met him when he was weak, vulnerable, and mistrusting, but now the world itself was at his disposal. His father seemed friendly enough, and it almost seemed as if nothing had ever happened between the two, as if Ren had always lived a charmed life. Tears began to flow down Nozomi's cheeks. She wanted to tell Ren that she loved him. She wanted to be held in his warm, gentle embrace. She wanted to have the experience that most students at an all-girls school could never have, but now he felt so distant. Worse yet, he wouldn't even be able to see her at the preliminary finals of the Love Live to cheer her on. It hadn't even been a week since he moved out of his apartment, and she was already starting to feel lonely. She shuffled her deck and pulled out the top card: Strength. It was so obvious. She had to persevere, but for some reason the strength she normally had was beyond her reach. She was the hand that guided µ's in its endeavors. She was the person they all looked up to for advice. Yet, when it came to her own problems, she was at a complete loss. Love was foreign territory to her, but she had already treaded to far down the path to turn back now. She should have just accepted his confession. She should have been happy. Instead, however, she became flustered and ran away. Was this the same Nozomi Tojo that brought together nine high school girls to form one of the most popular school idol groups to date? No, it wasn't. She was doing an admirable job keeping her "love life" secret from the rest of the group, but when she was on her own, however, she felt helpless. She smiled ever so slightly at the thought of how her friends would react if she told them she and Ren were dating. Most of them would be surprised, of course. Eli, Maki, and Umi would probably just say "congratulations" with small, sincere smiles, but they probably wouldn't pry any further. Honoka, Kotori, Rin, and Hanayo might have a few more questions, though. She was unsure of Nico's reaction, though. Perhaps she'd start prying for information in a fit a surprise and excitement, or maybe she'd feel jealous because the "number one" idol didn't get asked out by someone first. The thoughts of their reactions lightened her mood a little, and she stood up and wiped the tears from her eyes. _I can do this. I just need to be prepared next time._ She'd see him on New Year's Day. She'd tell Ren how she really felt…

* * *

Ren was still sitting alone in the study when his mother came in to let him know it was time for lunch. Aya let out a deep sigh when she saw the sorry state her son was in.

"I thought Miss Tojo was going to join us… What did you do to scare her off?"

"I just confessed to her."

Aya narrowed her gaze at Ren.

"And what was the mood like when you told her how you felt?"

"It was already a bit awkward…"

"Confess when the mood is right, Ren. You should at least know that."

"Well, it's too late now."

"Women are delicate when it comes to confessions. You need to be gentle with your words."

"Any other advice?"

Aya leaned in and whispered in his ear.

"Send your mother some pictures when you decide to ravage her."

Ren instantly recoiled, his face as red as a ripened tomato. "Seriously, what is wrong with you?!" His mother just giggled as she turned to leave. Her devilish grin faded as she looked back at him. "Give her some time to collect herself. I wasn't joking when I said women are delicate when it comes to confessions. I have faith in you, Ren, but I don't want you hurting someone you care about." Ren nodded and stood up to join her and the rest of his family for lunch. "Thanks. Just stop being such a pervert." She giggled again. "I just like seeing you blush, Ren. You really love her, don't you?" Ren nodded again. "Yeah, I love her, and I'm certain I couldn't love anyone else. Now if you wouldn't mind, I'm starting to get hungry."

* * *

December 31st 11:30 PM

The weeks flew on by as Ren and Nozomi kept themselves distracted. However, while µ's had been victorious in the preliminary finals of the Love Live, the UTX judo team had not fared so well in the regional tournament, primarily due to the absence of Erena Toudou and one too many penalties given to Ren for the illegal use of striking blows in a standard match. Ren looked at the time on his watch. The moment of truth was nearing as he approached the nearby shrine. He was half an hour early, but the place was already packed. An hour went by as he made his prayer for the New Year and saw his friends off.

January 1st 12:45 AM

He searched through the crowed for Nozomi, but he wasn't having much luck. After fifteen more minutes of searching, though, he finally spotted her. She was waving two of her friends off. One was rather petite with a pale complexion and jet black hair, while the other was somewhat taller with obvious European descent, her blonde hair and blue eyes being a dead giveaway. Nozomi had a solemn expression on her face. Ren decided to approach her in a cautious, delicate matter. He walked up to her slowly. She looked up at him nervously as he started to speak.

"Is something wrong, Nozomi? You're not smiling very much."

A small smile crept across her face as she responded.

"I was just thinking about graduation, that's all. I'm going to miss my underclassmen."

"I can't exactly say that I empathize with you. Most of the underclassmen I've met have been stalkers."

Nozomi tried to stifle a giggle to no avail.

"Is it really that bad?"

"Yep. Half the school seems to be in love with me, and the other half is chasing after my best friend, Haru."

"Haru… Yamamoto-san, right?"

"Yeah. Have you met him?"

"Once. He seemed pretty nice."

"When did that happen? Did you know each other in middle school?"

"It's a secret. Besides, I thought you went to middle school with him."

"Nope. We met through judo lessons, but we weren't in the same school until high school. It was great when Kira-chan and I found out all three of us would be in the same school together."

"You're pretty close to Tsubasa-san, aren't you?"

"We're good friends."

"Listen… I know how you rejected her…"

Ren took a deep breath.

"I might had gone a bit too far when I did that, but it's in the past."

Nozomi leaned against Ren's chest, placing her head against where his heart was. Her heart was beating more quickly than ever, and she could hear his own doing the same.

"Don't kiss another girl like that ever again… I was angry when I found out."

"I… I'm sorry. Nozomi… Does this mean what I think it does?"

She looked back up at him and nodded. She had to stand on her tiptoes somewhat, but she nevertheless pressed her lips up against his own. It only lasted about a second. Ren immediately lost it. As if by instinct, he wrapped his arms around her and gave her a kiss much deeper than the first. A crowd was gathering around the two, but they were already lost in their own little world. Nozomi closed her eyes and held on to the kiss for as long as she could, but eventually the couple had to take a breath of air. As they did so, however, they came to the sudden realization that they were still in a very public location. Their faces turned beat red as Mrs. Hayashi approached the two with a devilish grin on her face. "I hope you two didn't mind me posting that to the internet, because the pictures I put up are already getting likes." Ren looked back at Nozomi with a nervous smile. "Well, I guess we can't back out of this." She snuggled up against his chest. "No we can't. I love you, Ren." He placed a quick, chaste kiss on her forehead. "I love you too, Nozomi-chan." He looked back at his watch. "I should probably get going. I'll talk to you tomorrow." She nodded and gave him a kiss on the cheek before he left.

_Tomorrow should be interesting…_

**Author's Note: Sorry about the chapter being so short. Things will start getting really interesting in the next few chapters, I promise. I have a few things in store for the rest of the group. Thanks for reading, and please leave your reviews. No flames, please.**


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter XVI

Despite the fact that almost every student at UTX had visited the shrine after midnight, they were still expected to be at school the next day. As Ren approached the entrance to the school, a smile brimmed across his face. As usual, he'd be getting plenty of confessions from the underclassmen, but that was about to change. After he walked inside, the first girl approached him. Judging by the color of her tie, Ren quickly realized that she was a second year. She had black hair tied into a ponytail, and two innocent, blue sapphire orbs that glistened as she looked up at him.

"Excuse me, u-um, Hayashi-sempai?"

Ren sighed. He had helped tutor this girl last semester. She was a sweet little thing, and it might hurt a bit to make her cry, but if it meant stopping the confessions, he was more than willing to let her know that he was taken.

"Yes?"

"Um, I was wondering, if, u-um, you'd go out with me. Please?"

Ren took a deep breath. A crowd of girls had already gathered around him as usual. Perfect.

"I can't. I'm sorry."

"W-why not?"

The tension was high as all eyes were upon him.

"I already have a girlfriend."

"EEEEHHHHHHH?!"

The main lobby went into an uproar as Ren pushed through the crowd to get to his homeroom. The news began to spread like wildfire, and he couldn't help but grin like an idiot. However, as he sat down for lunch, two vengeful pairs of eyes were upon him. They belonged to none other than Kira Tsubasa and Haru Yamamoto, who were both displeased with the fact that they found out from a third party that their best friend was dating someone. Kira was the first to speak up.

"So, who is she? You seem to be keeping that a secret at least."

"I don't want her getting harassed by my stalkers, but I'll let you take a guess."

"It's Tojo-san, isn't it? When did you confess?"

"I confessed about two weeks before the preliminary finals of the Love Live, but she gave me her answer last night, or perhaps it would be better to say this morning."

"And you didn't tell us because?"

"Sorry about that."

Haru shook his head and took over where Kira left off.

"Sorry isn't exactly enough, so we're going to get some details."

"Such as?"

"Have you two kissed already?"

Ren's cheeks turned bright red.

"You're friends with my mom online, aren't you? Check her page…"

Haru pulled out his phone and checked. A devilish smile formed across his face as he and Kira saw the image of Ren and Nozomi kissing at the shrine.

"You've kissed each other on the lips and you haven't even gone on your first date? You'll be climbing the stairway to adulthood within a week at that rate."

Kira couldn't help but stifle a giggle, but Ren just rolled his eyes.

"Don't say that around my mother, Haru. She'll put a deadline on it."

With that, Kira lost control of her laughter, and Haru instinctively joined in while Ren buried his face in the palm of his hand.

* * *

Meanwhile, at Otonokizaka Academy, the news about Ren having a girlfriend had reached the cell phone of his number one stalker, a girl by the name of Haruka Tsutsumi. She was a third year in Nozomi's class, with dark brown hair, and bright pink irises behind a pair of square framed glasses. As the president of the school's photography club, she always had a camera with her, and she also kept a special photo album in her messenger bag. The album contained only pictures of Ren that were taken without his knowledge, many of which were taken with hidden cameras. If Ren were to discover it, Haruka would probably face jail time, especially if he saw the "shower" photos. It was lunch time, and as she read the message that was sent to her, she couldn't help but cry out in anguish while the rest of the class ate from their bentos.

"NO, NO, NOOOO! THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE!"

As a known voice of reason in the school, Nozomi walked over to figure out what was the matter.

"Tsutsumi-san, what's wrong?"

"MY FRIENDS ARE SAYING HE HAS A GIRLFRIEND NOW, BUT THAT WOULD NEVER HAPPEN WITHOUT ME KNOWING!"

"Who has a girlfriend, exactly?"

"HAYASHI-SAN! REN HAYASHI HAS A GIRLFRIEND! I HAD PLANNED ON ASKING HIM OUT AGAIN LIKE I'VE DONE EVERY MONTH SINCE I WENT TO MIDDLE SCHOOL WITH HIM, BUT IT'S ALL OVER NOW!"

Nozomi's face turned red and she attempted to slowly back away, but Haruka quickly noticed and came to the realization of what her reaction meant. A murderous scowl like that of a yandere character formed across her face.

"You… you took him away from us, didn't you? YOU TOOK HIM AWAY FROM ME AND MY SOCIETY, MY NETWORK OF 364 GIRLS THAT HAVE BEEN TRYING SINCE MIDDLE SCHOOL TO GAIN HIS AFFECTIONS!"

Nozomi was nervous, but a condescending smile formed as she came up with the perfect counter.

"So, how close have any of you gotten? Do you know his personality? His strength and weaknesses? Do you know what he likes and dislikes?"

Haruka froze before nervously replying to Nozomi's critical hit.

"None of us have been able to muster the courage to actually hold a conversation with him… How? How could you?"

"You know absolutely nothing about him. He's handsome and rich, but he's also hotheaded, violent, verbally blunt, and quick to hold a grudge. However, he has good intentions, and his rare acts of kindness are things to be treasured. I know more about his personality than any of you. If you think for a moment that he could love someone who simply lusts over his appearances, prepare to be enlightened."

At that moment, Nozomi raised her hands into "washi washi" mode and pounced on Miss Tsutsumi.

"I'M SORRY! I'M REALLY SORRY! PLEASE STOP!"

It wasn't long before Haruka Tsutsumi was passed out on the floor. Nozomi stood back up. She turned around, but as she did so, she realized that Haruka wasn't the only one that heard her feelings for Ren. As her face went red, half the class was pulling out paper and writing utensils. The interview had begun.

"So his name his Ren Hayashi, correct?"

"U-um, yes. That's correct."

"Where does he go to school?"

"H-he goes to UTX."

"Eh?! I thought UTX was an all-girls school!"

"It just has a low male student demographic."

"So, what does he look like?"

Before Nozomi could answer, Haruka regained consciousness and took over the conversation.

"Ren Hayashi is 178 centimeters tall, with dark red hair, deep green eyes, and an excellent athletic build. His blood type is O negative, his birthday is June the fourth, his favorite food his filet mignon, and he absolutely despises the taste of coconut. If you must know just how amazing he looks, I have a complete photo album dedicated to pictures of him. Just don't look in the back please."

The entire class glared at Tsutsumi-san.

_Stalker…_

Nozomi walked over and snatched the photo album from Tsutsumi-san, slowly skimming through the pages. Every picture was well taken and edited, and it was clear that Haruka was no amateur when it came to photography. As she reached the back of the photo album, however, her face became red as a ripened tomato. Haruka realized what was going on and started shaking. Nozomi turned to the teacher, who was eagerly waiting to resume class. "Sensei, I think we need to call the cops." The teacher looked at Nozomi, puzzled. "Shouldn't you be happy to have a photo album with pictures of your boyfriend?" Nozomi shook her head. "Judging by the photos here, my boyfriend appears to be quite… um… gifted…" The faces of every girl in the class went red. The teacher stood up, grabbed the photo album, and dragged Tsutsumi-san to the disciplinarian's office. As Nozomi buried her face in her hands, Eli rested her hand on Nozomi's shoulder.

"Congratulations, Nozomi… For dating Ren, I mean."

"Thanks…"

"Don't worry. I'll make sure everyone stays quiet."

Eli glared back at the rest of the class as they nervously nodded in submission. Even though she wasn't the student council president anymore, Eli Ayase still managed to maintain a degree of authority over her classmates, and at times like this it definitely helped.

"Do you want to tell the others during practice, or do you want to wait?"

"I think I'll wait. We haven't even gone out on our first date yet. Besides, the Love Live is in two months. The others have enough to worry about."

"I suppose you're right. Just make sure to let me know if something bad happens."

Nozomi smiled shyly. She had Ren as a lover and Eli as her best friend. She couldn't be luckier.

* * *

Later that night, Ren was chatting with Nozomi over his cell phone. He could have just texted her, but if he was going to plan a date it would probably best to actually call her.

"Nozomi, how's everything going?"

"I'm feeling good. I met one of your stalkers, though."

"There's a lot of them, so I probably wouldn't know her."

"Her names Haruka Tsutsumi."

Ren rolled his eyes.

"Ugh. I'm sorry. I know her… unfortunately…"

"She was pretty bad…"

"She's the worst of them. Anyway, are you free on Sunday?"

"I'm free. Why?"

"I thought… well… I thought we could have lunch and maybe spend the rest of the day together…"

"You mean… a date?"

"Yeah…"

"Sure. We're boyfriend and girlfriend now, anyway, so we have to go on a date at some point."

"Yeah. Will you meet me at Le Chateau Bistro in Ginza at noon?"

"Of course. I'll see you on Sunday."

"Goodnight Nozomi. I… I love you."

"I love you too, Ren. Goodnight."

As Ren hung up, his mother entered the room with a tablet in her hand. She had a small smile, but something about her said, "I have important business to discuss."

"Do you need me for something, Mom?"

"Straight down to business, then. Do you think you'll be with her when Valentine's Day comes along?"

"We've been through too much not to last that long."

"Good. I have something very special planned for her and her friends."

"What exactly is it that you have planned?"

"The Love Live will be coming up, but before that, I'd like to give them some extra exposure as thanks for all Tojo-san has done for us."

"Exposure?"

"The Love Live will be the event of the year, but this…"

Aya paused for a moment as her eyes seemed to light up with enthusiasm.

"… will be the event of the decade!"


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter XVII

Ren stepped out of the limo after it had pulled up to the bistro. He was about half an hour early, but he waved the limousine off regardless. With it being his first date, he made sure he was dressed well. Blue designer jeans, jet-black designer dress shoes, a black designer oxford shirt, and a slate designer peacoat. Today was a special day for him, so he decided to forgo his glasses in favor of contact lenses. He had everything planned out: a lunch at a Parisian-inspired bistro, a movie of Nozomi's choice, a stretch in the park, karaoke (Tsubasa's idea), and dinner at a high end traditional Japanese restaurant. Thanks to his family's influence, his reservations for dinner were extremely easy to make. His dark green eyes sparkled with excitement, and he couldn't help but grin like a child. He couldn't be happier with what was happening right now. As he basked in the excitement of what was going on, someone snuck up behind him and covered his eyes. "Can you guess who it is?" Ren chuckled lightly. He knew that kansai accent a mile away. "Cut it out, Nozomi." As he turned around, Nozomi couldn't help but be surprised. "You're not wearing glasses, Ren-kun!" Ren couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at her. "You didn't notice they were missing when you covered my eyes? I'm wearing contact lenses." She smiled softly. Without the glasses, she could see just how captivating his eyes were as they sparkled like deep jades. _Ren's eyes are really beautiful when you look at them this way. _Ren had turned around as Nozomi stood before him wearing a green dress, black leggings, white boots, and a grey peacoat. Her hair was tied into a braid off to the side and it gave off a mature, attractive appearance.

"You look beautiful, Nozomi."

"Thank you… You look pretty handsome, yourself…"

"Um… Thanks. Shall we go in?"

Nozomi nodded and took Ren's hand as they walked into the bistro. Behind them, however, was Haruka Tsutsumi. She was wearing a pair of faded denims, brown boots, a white long-sleeved t-shirt, a brown trenchcoat, and a red plaid beret. Her camera hung around her neck and a messenger bag with a laptop was slung over her shoulder. As Ren and Nozomi sat down at one of the booths in the restaurant, Haruka sat at a table across from them, adjusted her glasses, pulled out her laptop, and ordered a sandwich and soup combo. She pulled out her laptop and began to secretly take pictures with a small lens mounted on the back of the device. Meanwhile, Ren and Nozomi had ordered a few hor d'oeuvres before deciding on their main course. Nozomi decided to play safe with brochettes, but Ren, being a connoisseur of French cuisine, decided to go with escargot. Nozomi looked at his appetizer nervously.

"Don't knock it until you try it, Nozomi-chan."

"I… suppose I'll try a little bit."

Ren took the miniature fork that came with his dish, picked up a bit of escargot with it, and extended it nervously towards Nozomi. _Other couples do this, right?_

"Well then… um, say 'ahh.'"

Nozomi took Ren's offering and started chewing. It had a unique taste, but it was pretty good. After swallowing down the piece of escargot, she offered Ren some of her brochettes. As the scene unfolded, Haruka began to tally up the indirect kisses, shuddering with each mark she made. Altogether, six indirect kisses were made. The rest of the meal continued with Ren ordering a croquet madame sandwich and Nozomi ordering a quiche. To Haruka's great displeasure, two more indirect kisses were made as they sampled each other's meals. As the couple paid their check and left, Tsutsumi-san did the same, and they moved on to the movie theater.

* * *

Nozomi and Ren held hands the entire time while greatly enjoying each other's company and conversation. Every time Nozomi got Ren to laugh, a quiver went up Haruka's spine. At the same time, Ren's genuine smiles made her heart flutter, but the fact that only Nozomi could evoke them felt like a knife being stabbed into her chest. Eventually, they reached the theater, and Nozomi picked out the film. Ren gulped when he looked at the poster: _Island of the Hopping Vampires_. If Nozomi wanted to see a horror movie, however, he wasn't going to let fear get the better of him. After getting their tickets and popcorn the two took their seats in the theater… with Haruka sitting behind them, of course. The movie had a slow, but suspenseful start, but as soon as the jiang-shi vampires appeared, Ren was clinging to Nozomi like a frightened child, much to her amusement. Of course, Tsutsumi-san was not so amused, but was instead seething with jealousy. When the movie finished, Nozomi teasingly kissed Ren on the forehead and stroked his hair.

"I didn't realize you could get scared so easily."

"Shut up…"

You're cute when you're scared, Ren."

A smug grin flashed across his face.

"Say that again after I pin you down."

"Oh my. It seems your mother has nothing to worry about, then."

Ren couldn't help but laugh at her last comment as he kissed her on the cheek. Haruka was shaking. _Eight indirect kisses and two direct kisses. I don't think I can take much more of this. _The two (or perhaps it would be better to say the three) walked through the park for a brief stretch as they made their way to the karaoke joint. Ren didn't have natural talent when it came to singing, but he wasn't tone deaf either, and the voice lessons he took when he was thirteen would probably help now. It was somewhat sad, actually. Even when he knew his parents were barely home at the time, he'd always try a new hobby in the hopes of impressing them. As a result, he had become a jack of all trades and a master of none. Well, he did master cooking, at least, and he was rather proficient in judo and academics.

"Nozomi, do you want to sit down for a bit?"

"We just sat for two and a half hours in a movie theater."

"Good point. Maybe we should run and work off all the fat from the popcorn."

"I'll definitely need a workout after this date is finished. Maybe I should try 'wrestling' with you."

"We've only been dating for about a week. I'm not ready for that kind of exercise."

"I was kidding…"

"I know, but still. At least you're more subtle than my mother."

"I don't think anyone could be more blatant than her. Did she say anything before you went out today?"

"Yeah…"

"What did she say?"

"Could you use your phone to record audio of the two of you making love, please?"

"Your mother scares me."

"She scares me, too."

Haruka couldn't help but blush as she listened in on their conversation. _Could it be that Hayashi-san wants to do those kinds of things to Tojo-san, already? No, of course not. His mom's just a pervert! Right? Right?! _Haruka took a few deep breaths to calm herself, making sure she didn't get too close to be noticed. However, as they reached their destination, a wave of disappointment came over her. _I can't follow them into the karaoke room. I'll have to get one for myself._ As she sat down in the private karaoke booth across from theirs, she pulled the laptop out of its bag and proceeded to access the security footage in order to keep an eye on the couple. _You cannot escape me…_

* * *

Ren and Nozomi sat next to each other on the couch in their private karaoke booth. Nozomi couldn't notice that he seemed to be deep in thought as he scrolled through the song list. "What kind of music do you listen to, Ren?" The question seemed to break his concentration and he turned his head to look at her. "I mainly listen to instrumental stuff. I really like this one violinist who plays with a techno beat in the background, but as for music with actual lyrics, I usually listen to American and European artists." Nozomi furrowed her brow. "Are you fluent in other languages besides Japanese?" He nodded back. "My parents had me learning foreign languages starting when I was six. Besides Japanese and English, I am also fluent in Spanish, French, Italian, and German." Nozomi's eyes widened. "W-well… could you sing a song by a foreign artist?" He looked back at the list and found a song: "Mercenary Man" by Firewind. The song was a driving rock song by a Greek power metal band, but the lyrics were in English. Ren's singing voice was decent, but what truly astounded Nozomi was his fluency. He could even pronounce his "L's" without any difficulty whatsoever. Nozomi took over next, going with a J-pop power ballad, after which Ren followed with the German hit "Geboren um zu Leben" by Unheilig. Once again, his voice was average, but his fluency was phenomenal. They went back and forth for about two more hours. Meanwhile, Haruka was tearing up every time Ren sang, and muting the feed on her laptop whenever Nozomi sang. Nozomi sat down on the couch for Ren's turn, but he didn't get up.

"My voice is a bit tired, Nozomi. Mind if I step out to get us some drinks?"

"Not at all. I'll just have some bottled water."

"Two bottles coming up."

"We can just share one, you know."

"One bottle coming up."

Ren went to a vending machine and came back with a single bottle of water. As he entered the room, however, he hit his foot on the leg of the couch and tumbled over… on top of Nozomi to be exact. It didn't take long for the two to notice that they were in a rather compromising position. However, despite the fact that Ren was practically pinning Nozomi to the couch, neither of them moved. Their cheeks were flushed, and the lights of the room were dim. The mood was set, and they slowly inched their lips towards each other. As soon as their mouths made contact, Nozomi pulled Ren in, and they were just about to lose themselves… until the door was slammed open by none other than an enraged Haruka Tsutsumi.

"NO, NO, NO, NO! THIS IS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN! GET YOUR HANDS OFF OF HIM, YOU FILTHY TRAMP! YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO MONOPOLIZE HIM! I HAVEN'T CONFESSED TO HIM FORTY TWO TIMES JUST TO SEE HIM MAKE LOVE TO SOMEONE HE JUST MET DURING THE LAST SEMESTER!"

She was seething by now, but Ren didn't seem to care. He stared Haruka down with a menacing glare.

"Do you want me to hit you, Tsutsumi-san?"

"Huh?"

"Did I stutter?"

"HOLD ON! I THOUGHT YOU WERE A GENTLEMAN! IT'S BAD MANNERS TO HIT A GIRL!"

"So men can receive the privilege of being punched in the face, but women can't? That's gender discrimination. I don't discriminate."

Nozomi shot a glare at Ren. He relaxed his fists and resorted to simply flicking Haruka's forehead. _He touched me… _In a matter of seconds, she was passed out on the floor in front of Ren and Nozomi, who both were wondering how she passed out from a mere flick of the forehead. Ren looked at his watch. "Our dinner reservation is in twenty minutes. Let's leave now before she wakes up and follows us." Nozomi nodded and they moved on to the final destination of their date…

* * *

Dinner went by quickly, with Nozomi enjoying a bowl of sukiyaki, and Ren enjoying a plate of gourmet fugu fish. After paying the bill, they walked outside to see a familiar limo waiting for them. Ren and Nozomi both took their seats as Mrs. Hayashi sat across from them with a devilish smile. Unexpectedly, Tsutsumi-san was sitting next to her. Ren took a deep breath.

"Mother, it's not what you think it was."

"Really? Then I got mad at this girl for nothing? It sounds like she prevented you two from climbing the stairway to adulthood."

"Really. Nothing happened."

Mrs. Hayashi sighed and motioned for Haruka to step out of the limousine. After Tsutsumi-san left, Mrs. Hayashi turned to Nozomi.

"I'm rather disappointed that nothing was actually prevented, but I'll let you two take your time. However, I may stop by your school tomorrow."

Her eyes lit up with enthusiasm as she pulled out her tablet device.

"I have something planned that you and your friends may find interesting…"


	18. Chapter 18

**Author's Note: Sorry about the long wait everyone. I've been rather busy with work lately, and I've also been preparing for an anime convention up in Chicago tomorrow morning, so don't expect the next update to come right away. I've got some photos to take, panels to attend, and memorabilia to buy. Anyway, here's the new update. Since the mothers in the anime don't appear to have first names, I'm taking creative liberties by giving them first names, such as "Kaoru" Minami in this chapter. Enjoy!**

Chapter XVIII

_Will the members of µ's please come to the principal's office?_

It was during lunch that those words were stated over the school intercom. As the nine girls nervously entered the principal's office, they noticed a fairly tall woman sitting on the desk, chatting gleefully with Chairwoman Minami. She had long black hair tied into a bun, with a pair of long curls in the front. She had green eyes that sparkled with excitement behind her rimless glasses. A large suitcase sat on the desk, too, and the two women appeared to be sipping from glasses of red wine. All nine girls were surprised that the chairwoman would even consider drinking alcohol at work. Nozomi instantly recognized the woman sitting on the desk as Mrs. Aya Hayashi, but the other girls didn't recognize her right away. Meanwhile, the two women didn't seem to notice the girls enter and kept on talking.

"Aya, this is extremely irregular. Just what exactly do you need to pull the girls out of class for?"

"You're inquisitive as ever, Kaoru-tan. I'm planning to host a gala, you see, as a celebration of my family's 'resurrection,' so to speak."

"You want school idols to perform at a gala? Why not professionals?"

"It just so happens that my family would still be a train wreck if it wasn't for Tojo-san's efforts."

"Tojo-san? I heard from one of the third years that she was dating someone, but that wouldn't happen to be your son, by any chance?"

"You heard correctly. He's a bit of a stick in the mud at times, but the way he blushes when I start talking about her is absolutely wonderful."

"Well, that's one option I can no longer suggest to Kotori-chan, then. I love this school, but it somewhat hurts as a mother that my daughter doesn't to get to meet any nice young men."

"It wasn't a problem for us, though. Remember when we were on the student council together?"

"You don't have to remind me, Aya-chan. If you hadn't met Ryu and introduced us to his friends, though, we'd probably all be single."

"I suppose so… ah! When did you young ladies all come in?"

Honoka stepped forward and looked at Mrs. Hayashi with a flustered look on her face.

"Um… We've been here for about a minute, ma'am. So what's this about Nozomi-chan having a boyfriend?"

"She hasn't told you?"

"No ma'am."

"Really. Well, now you know. Now, we have a busy schedule. We'll get you fitted with dresses at a boutique, and then we have a photoshoot at 2:45 pm."

Mrs. Hayashi turned around to bid Chairwoman Minami farewell.

"We'll talk more another time, Kaoru-tan. Enjoy the donation to the school while you're at it."

After Aya and the nine girls left the room, the principal opened the suitcase in front of her and her eyes widened: 125 million yen was sitting in front of her. Of course, that was nothing for the Hayashi family that made 625 billion yen a year.

_You haven't changed at all, Aya-chan…_

* * *

The nine girls nervously stepped inside the limousine, quickly noticing two men inside towards the front drinking from snifters what appeared to be brandy (cognac to be exact). They recognized the first as being Ren and realized that the second one was probably his father. Ren put his glass down in its drink holder as he noticed the girls sitting down. _I hope none of them had any important tests today._ Ren had just finished a math test when his parents pulled him out of class, but that was the only test he had. As he picked his drink back up, Nozomi sat down beside him.

"Do you want a sip, Nozomi?"

"Um… sure."

She took a small sip from Ren's snifter. As someone who had never had alcohol before, she didn't know quite how to describe the taste, but it certainly wasn't bad.

"It's pretty good, I think…"

Ren took the snifter back and took a sip.

"It's fine. My dad's getting me to try a bunch of different drinks, but booze isn't a necessity unless you're at a business gathering."

The rest of the group was staring at Ren.

_Indirect kiss…_

Ren looked at his glass and noticed a light pink mark where Nozomi's lips had been. Instead of getting embarrassed, however, he placed his lips over the mark and nonchalantly continued to sip his drink.

"Anyway, mother, we're picking up Hana, aren't we?"

"I had her fitted for her dress yesterday, while you and Tojo-san were enjoying yourselves. We'll pick her up after our business at the boutique."

"Where will the photoshoot take place?"

"At our house, of course!"

Ren leaned back as a somewhat awkward silence enveloped the rest of the drive. However, when they reached their destination, their eyes were filled with awe by the sight in front of them. As they walked into the boutique, they were greeted by an entourage of ten well-known fashion designers. Each girl was assigned a designer, and the tenth designer took care of Ren. Over the next couple of hours, the nine fashionable dresses were picked, as well as a dashing silk, French-cut tuxedo with a purple vest, cravat, and gloves. The tails on the jacket were long, giving Ren an extremely sophisticated appearance. Nozomi's dress was a silk single-sleeve dress with a slit on the left leg that accentuated every curve in her body. She wore long white gloves and a pair of white heels about five inches high. As if by pure coincidence, the dresses on the other girls were almost the same with minor variations and different colors: Orange for Honoka, dark blue for Umi, dark green for Kotori, red for Maki, light green for Hanayo, yellow for Rin, Pink for Nico, and light blue for Eli. As the group met back in the lobby in their new attire to head off to the photoshoot, Mr. Hayashi approached Nozomi with a small box in his hand. "Ms. Tojo, your actions were small, but the effects have already shown themselves in ways my family and I have never imagined possible. I would like to add one final piece to your ensemble," he stated as he opened the box. A silver choker was inside with a circular design of inlaid diamonds in the center depicting the Gemini twins. Ren took choker and put it on Nozomi's neck. "I'm the one who picked it out. I wanted to give it to you yesterday, but my parents convinced me that now would be a better time. What do you think?" Nozomi looked in a mirror nearby as her eyes sparkled with an almost childish quality. "It's beautiful…" Ren kissed her lightly on the cheek and smiled coyly. "It looks even more beautiful on you though." Once again, the other girls looked at Ren and Nozomi with mild disgust.

_Get a room, you two…_

* * *

After finishing their business at the boutique, the group returned to the limousine and headed out to the Hayashi estate for their photoshoot. As the members of µ's stepped out of the car upon reaching their destination, their jaws dropped in unison as a single thought went through their minds. _HE'S RICHER THAN MAKI!_ Their sense of wonder was only amplified as they entered the house to be greeted by a staff of ten butlers and ten maids. _THEY HAVE SERVANTS?!_ When they reached the location of the photoshoot, however, the sense of wonder was becoming a bit too much. _THIS… THIS IS A BALLROOM! WHAT KIND OF PERSON HAS A BALLROOM IN THEIR HOUSE?! _Mrs. Hayashi rolled her eyes, knowing well what they were thinking, and turned to the group.

"Calm down, ladies. You'll get to the full extent of our luxury after the photoshoot. Now, I have someone to introduce you all to."

A tall woman with a camera around her neck stepped forward. Her hair was jet-black like eyes, and her grey eyes flickered with devilish enthusiasm as she laid her eyes on Ren.

"Hayashi-san, it's been awhile since I deemed you fit for my brother to employ you."

Ren shook his head with disapproval.

"Everyone, this is Miss Yui Sakurada. She is my boss' twin sister, and she does photoshoots and scouting for professional models. She reviewed me upon employment to make sure I fit the 'appearance' requirement."

Yui grinned with excitement.

"Well, Ren would you mind putting on some 'civilian' wear and doing a few candid shots for starters?"

"Sure… if I have to."

Ren went upstairs and changed into a button down and a pair of jeans and some tennis shoes. Yui's grin got bigger.

"Unbutton the shirt. All the way, please."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me. Let's see those toned abs."

Ren nervously unbuttoned his shirt in front of the girls and the cameramen to reveal a well-toned eight-pack abdomen.

"Now what?"

"Simple. Pose…"

Ren did a series of posed photos as the girls in front of him blushed insanely at the site of his abs.

"Why exactly are these photos necessary, anyway?"

Yui cupped her cheeks coyly.

"They're for my personal collection… and the collections of a few other admirers, such as my best camera girl."

A familiar face poked her head out from behind one of the cameras: Haruka Tsutsumi, who was noticeably absent from class at Otonokizaka Academy. A fainting couch was nearby for her use.

"Miss Sakurada, if Tsutsumi-san can't control herself, I will be forced to require a restraining order against her. Do I make myself clear?"

"Absolutely. Now, put your suit on so we can take the promotional photos for the event."

After Ren changed into his suit, he and the rest of the girls modeled for the promotional photos.

As the shoot went on, Mrs. Hayashi looked at her tablet device. The lighting and sound crews were ready, the extra cooks had been hired, the menu for the guests was prepared, the photos were being finished, the invitations had been sent, and every penthouse hotel room in Tokyo was booked for Valentine's Day. All that remained was the music... and Nozomi already had the lyrics written.

_Ruteshi Kisuki Shiteru_


	19. Chapter 19

**Author's Note: I'm back, and I would like to apologize for my disappearance. I want to thank you for your patience before I wrap up this story within the next two or three chapters, but I would also like to let you know that I am considering a sequel. This chapter isn't particularly long, but the next one will not fail to deliver, I can assure you. Now, without further ado, I present to you my nineteenth chapter!**

Chapter XIX

After a month of hard preparation from both the Hayashi family and the members of µ's, Valentine's Day had finally arrived. Every penthouse suite in Tokyo had been rented out by foreign associates of Ryu and Aya, and the family estate was adorned from top to bottom in its most splendid décor. As Ren made his way to school, he couldn't help but wonder if his status of being "taken" would have an effect on the amount of chocolates he would receive at school. Unfortunately for Haru, it did indeed. Ren approached his locker to start the day off and couldn't help but noticed that his friend was practically shivering as he stared at a piece of paper in his hand.

_Roses are red._

_Violets are blue._

_I can't have Ren,_

_But I can still have you…_

Ren put a hand on his best friend's shoulder. "Now do you see why I never let them down easily?" Haru simply nodded, his hands still shaking from the mere thought of Ren's stalkers changing targets. There was a moment of silence until Kira approached the two boys.

"Class starts in ten minutes. You two should probably hurry up."

"Give Haru a moment."

"What's wrong with him?"

"He just inherited some of my stalkers."

"How many? You have one for each day of the year."

"I'm not quite sure yet, but he got one of the bad ones. I think the handwriting belongs to Yoshikawa-san. I was almost going to file a restraining order against her, but it looks like she won't be a problem for me anymore."

Haru shot a glare at Ren.

"Well, she's my problem now, Ren."

Ren smirked sadistically, but at the same time he felt sorry for his best friend.

* * *

Meanwhile, at Otonokizaka, Nozomi struggled to comfort Haruka Tsutsumi, who was clutching a piece of paper that was much different from the one Haru received.

"Haruka-chan, what's wrong?"

Haruka showed the letter to Nozomi. Upon reading the first few sentences, Nozomi couldn't help but sigh.

"What did you do?"

"I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!"

"If you didn't do anything, Ren wouldn't have filed a restraining order."

"Well, I did try to sneak off with a pair of his boxers last week, after doing a photoshoot of the estate."

"You tried to take his boxers?!"

"…from the hamper. They were fresh. I still managed to pocket them as they dragged me out, though."

Haruka pulled the aforementioned boxers out of her pocket and wiped her tears as if she were using a handkerchief. Nozomi shot her a menacing glare as she snatched them out of her hands.

"I'll be returning these."

"WAIT! THAT'S ALL I HAVE LEFT TO REMEMBER HIM BY! MY PARENTS CONFISCATED MY PHOTO ALBUMS!"

Nozomi walked back to her seat, ignoring Haruka's plight. It was early, and they were the only two in the classroom, so she couldn't help but sneak in a whiff before pocketing her boyfriend's boxers.

_They certainly haven't been washed yet. Crap. This isn't going to become a fetish, is it? And how am I supposed to return these?!_

Class hadn't started yet, so she sent Ren a text:

_I confiscated a pair of your boxers from Tsutsumi-san. When would be a good time to return them?_

The reply came shortly:

_Throw them away or keep them if you're into that kind of thing. I'd rather not have to carry a pair of boxers home with me._

Nozomi raised her eyebrow at his response:

_You wouldn't be creeped out if I had a fetish for your underwear?_

He responded again:

_I honestly wouldn't care. What you do in your free time is none of my business, so long as you're still being faithful to me. Now if you'd excuse me, I have to get ready for class._

* * *

Nozomi sighed. It was good that Ren was honest, but sometimes he was a bit _too_ honest. He was sweet, but he most certainly lacked delicacy. Just the week before they had gone out on a date after class and the first thing he said was, "Nozomi, your hair looks terrible. Do you have a brush with you?" It was true that she was having a bad hair day, but for Ren to point it out first thing was a bit much. He was also a stick in the mud when it came to having fun. She couldn't help but remember that on that same date, she had to physically drag him along to get a parfait. He barely ate any of his share, and when she stuck the last stick of pocky from the parfait in her mouth, he refused to play the pocky game with her. Instead, he simply gave her an angry look, grabbed the other half that was sticking out of her mouth, and broke it off. Nozomi smiled as she remembered what happened as they finished their date with a walk through a local park. They were walking past a fountain when Ren spotted a small girl crying. He rushed to her like a concerned older brother with a worried expression on his face. He kneeled down and asked her what was wrong. She slowly replied, "I can't find my mommy… and… my knee hurts…" Ren looked down at her knee. It was badly scraped. He reached into pocket of sport coat and pulled out a handkerchief. He motioned Nozomi to come over and took out a water bottle from her purse. After wetting the handkerchief, he wiped the blood from the girl's knee and applied pressure to stop the bleeding. When the bleeding stopped, Ren pulled a band-aid out of his jacket and covered up the wound. After comforting the child, he looked up to see the little girl's mother rush over. Nozomi couldn't help but blush as she recalled the event. Despite Ren's cold demeanor, he still had a soft side. He'd probably make a great father. As the rest of the school day went by, the final preparations for the Hayashi gala were being completed. A long, white limo was parked in front of the school as the girls put on their dresses in the club room. They walked outside, stepped into the limo, and made their way to the family estate.

* * *

They were seated in the limo in pairs for when they walked out onto the red carpet: Ren was with Nozomi, Eli was with Umi, Honoka was with Kotori, Maki was with Nico, and Rin was with Hanayo. Finally, Mr. and Mrs. Hayashi sat with Hana in between them. What awaited them was a crowd of celebrities, CEOs, politicians, and camera crews. But the gala was more widespread than just the family estate. Ren stood up and opened the skylight, sticking his head outside. "Nozomi, take a look!" As she poked her head out, her eyes widened. Behind them was a massive caravan of limousines. Private security rode on motorcycles behind every one of them, but the most amazing sight was all around them: The entire city had been lit up for Valentine's Day, compliments of the Hayashi Conglomerate and its partners. Balloons and banners adorned the block, and an electric light show seemed to dance alongside the procession. The girls rolled down the windows of the limousine, their jaws gaping in disbelief. If anyone could make the Love Live! look like child's play, it was the Hayashi family, and they did exactly what they set out to do. They were getting close the estate. Rolling their windows up, they prepared themselves for a most eventful Valentine's Day of their lives…


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter XX

The limousine came to a stop outside the entrance to the Hayashi residence. A red carpet led up to the main doors, with reporters and guests on either side. The door to the limousine opened and Ren and Nozomi walked down the carpet, hand in hand. Immediately, they were bombarded by the cheers of their friends, the flashing of cameras, and the scrutiny of celebrities. It was embarrassing, but it still made them happy. Behind them in pairs were Eli and Umi, Honoka and Kotori, Maki and Nico, and Rin and Hanayo. Finally, the hosts and their daughter stepped out of the limousine and the cheering went silent. An air of solemn respect took over as Ryu and Aya walked down the red carpet with Hana, and many of the guests bowed in reverence. The group and their guests made their way to the ballroom, where an ornate stage had been professionally set up. The backdrop was that of three familiar tarot cards: The Fool, The Lovers, and the Ten of Cups. The stage platform was mainly rectangular, but it also had a part in the center that went outwards into the audience. Three large tables were lined up in front of the stage, but their contents were covered by white drapes. Another long table ran along the back end of the room, similarly covered. Maids and butlers stood along the sides of the room, including those already employed by the Hayashi family and those hired from local maid and butler cafes. As everyone filed into the room, the members of µ's went backstage and Ryu and Aya went to the front with microphones in hand.

Ryu looked at the audience standing before him. His arrest was known to all of them, but few of them understood why he of all people would be hosting a gala on Valentine's Day. He took a deep breath before speaking.

"Colleagues, friends, ladies and gentlemen, you are probably wondering why I am standing here in the first place, and not standing on trial or in a cell. I did not have the greatest of parents. My father was a poor Japanese immigrant who was constantly stressed out, and my mother was a poor German woman who was constantly drunk. When I came to Japan at the age of fifteen, I saw an opportunity to create a better life for myself. I eventually got a degree and married my wonderful wife, and when my son was brought into this world, I decided that I would be the father that I never had. I would be successful. I would create an easier future for my children. In my ambition, however, I lost sight of my goal. I created a financial empire, but left this estate empty save for two lonely children. To those fathers in the audience, I have this to share: We are all screw-ups in one way or another. That is simply the way we are. We try to be better than the fathers before us, but instead we fail in different ways. To my children, I know that it is not enough to simply say that I am sorry for leaving you alone these last ten years, but I will do everything in my power to make up for it." Ryu took in another deep breath to continue his speech, but was quickly cut off by Aya. "And without further ado, let's bring on the entertainment, shall we?"

The lights dimmed. The cameras went on. The concert began.

_Ruteshi Kisu. Shitterun deshou? Suki shiteru. (Aishiteru)_

The song was perfect. The driving rhythm, the exotic melody, and the nasally charm of Nozomi's voice filled the room. The dancing was exotic seductive, and most importantly, classy. Ren couldn't help but smile at the unique diversity in the audience: High school students with glowsticks and celebrities with champagne. The entire room was entranced by the performance. Soon, the second chorus became the bridge with a guitar solo. Nozomi walked along a platform leading to the crowd and approached Ren in a choreographed fashion. She ran he index finger up to his chin and as the song reached its climax before the final chorus, she pulled him in for a strong kiss on the lips, holding it until the moment she had to sing again. He smirked as the final chorus began and snapped his fingers, as the butlers, in a choreographed fashion, removed the white drapes from the tables, revealing a massive banquet on each of the three tables in front, and finally, a dessert bar on the table in the back with a six-foot-tall silver fondue fountain in the center. As if the show were not entrancing enough for the audience, the display on the tables caused their mouths to water. The song came to its final "aishiteru" and a string quartet took over as the girls joined the rest of the crowd for dinner.

* * *

A separate section of the center row was reserved for the nine girls, as well as Ren, Haru, and the members of A-Rise. Everyone took their seats and eyed the plates in front of them. Each of the plates had personalized meals for each of the girls. For example, Rin had an extremely deluxe ramen dish with all her favorite toppings, while Maki had an Italian pasta dish with plenty of tomatoes. Nozomi's dish was a gourmet serving of sukiyaki, while Ren's had filet mignon with a bowl of French onion soup on the side. Every dish was accompanied by an appropriate glass of wine, despite the fact that all of the girls were underage. The most unique dish, however, was Hanayo's. Her eyes sparkled with delight as she eyed the large pyramid of rice sitting on her plate, with each tier containing a different kind of rice. The largest tier at the bottom consisted solely of white rice. Her drink, however, seemed to be missing. She looked puzzled for a moment, until a waiter came by with a small cup and a large bottle. "What is this?"

The waiter smiled.

"Premium sake. Brewed only from the finest rice."

"Wait. I can drink… rice?"

The waiter nodded and set down the bottle and the small cup. The others went pale as she poured her drink. _This isn't going to end well…_

The party went on as everyone enjoyed their meals and banter. However, Haru noticed that something was missing.

"So… no chocolates?"

Eli rolled her eyes and pulled a box out of her handbag.

"Here you go. I'm sure you've gotten plenty at school, though."

Haru's face went pale as he remembered the letter he received earlier.

_… __I can't have Ren but I can still have you…_

"Yeah… let's not go there."

Ren looked at Nozomi for a moment.

"I suppose I'm getting something, as well."

She cocked her head up and gave him a wry smile as she placed a heart-shaped chocolate cake on the table.

"What made you think that this was for you?"

Ren sighed. "I suppose I'll have to go all out on White Day."

Nozomi playfully rested her head on his shoulder.

"You wouldn't dare disappoint your girlfriend, would you?"

The banter continued even as the rest of the guests began to clear out. Aya walked over to the group with a group of maids.

"Well, we certainly had an eventful night. My maids have prepared guest rooms based on the order in which you walked down the red carpet earlier."

Nozomi and Ren's faces went red, and in a few moments everyone else was blushing when they realized what that meant. _She arranged for them to sleep together._

As the maids led everyone to the guest rooms, including a heavily inebriated Hanayo Koizumi, Mrs. Hayashi whispered in her son's ear. "Feel free to wake up the hallway with your love tonight." Ren glared at his mother and headed to his room. After all the preparations and the events of the night itself, he just wanted to sleep. Hopefully, Nozomi felt the same way. She did have some perverted tendencies, after all…

As he reached his bedroom, he saw Nozomi staring inside, her face red and her body shaking with embarrassment. He looked inside to see that his mother had swapped out the bedding with red silk sheets and lit candles around the room. He buried his face in the palm of his hand for a moment before taking a deep breath. "Nozomi, you can sleep with Hana in her room tonight. I'll take care of… this…" He walked inside and started dousing the candles one by one, before turning around to notice that Nozomi was still standing in the doorway, fidgeting. "Nozomi, I'm not going to sleep with you when we've only dated for a little over a month." She looked at him with a pouty expression on her face. Ren could barely believe it. "Don't tell me. You _want _to sleep with me?" She finally spoke up, but looked away from him as if to hide her embarrassment. "Just a little, yes." Ren sighed and called out into the hallway. "Hana!" His sister burst out of her room and ran over. "Yes, Onii-chan?" Ren paused for a moment, thinking of the best wording. "Mother set things up for Nozomi and I to sleep together. For the sake of decency, would you mind sleeping between us?" Hana's expression lit up with childish excitement. She rushed over to the bed and tucked herself in to the center. Nozomi and Ren couldn't help but smile as they got in on opposite sides of the bed. _Good night, Onii-chan. Good night, Onee-chan._ The lights went out and the eventful evening came to a close with fireworks still lighting the night sky.

* * *

Two months went by, along with White Day and graduation. Nozomi and Ren were extremely busy during that time, with few weekends available for dates. While she and her friends were in New York, Ren was with his family visiting his grandmother in Germany. Two months… Two months had passed since that amazing evening. He was in Sapporo, getting ready to start a new life at a private school of business while working a modeling job on the side. He hadn't had much contact with his girlfriend, not even knowing where she would be going to school. As he walked up to the door of his new apartment, however, a familiar face stepped out next door. Fate wasn't going to let them be separated – Not now, not ever…

_fin_


End file.
